


The Danger that Lurks Underwater

by AKA_Indulgence



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ??? Is that a full blown au idk, Alternate Universe - Mermaids, Alternate Universe - Mermaidtale, As in they eat humans, Cecaelia Sans, F/M, Female Reader, Gen, IDK OK, Kidnapping, Multi, Not administered heavily, Not to be confused with SF!Sans, Obsessive Behavior, Obsessive Sans (Undertale), Possessive Sans (Undertale), Predatory Monsters, Protective Sans (Undertale), Red calls Classic 'Black', Red is very worried, Sans is half octopus, Sans is very... sure., Sans is... Creepy, Slight Drowning, Slight Magical Manipulation, Small talk about souls, Stalking, Tentacles, These tags make me look very questionable..., UF!Paps is "Spines", Worried Sans (Undertale), Yandere Sans (Undertale), but not that kind, from the water, mermaid sans, meroctopus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2020-07-28 20:02:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20069782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKA_Indulgence/pseuds/AKA_Indulgence
Summary: Sans hates humans. He couldn't care about them less, if they weren't such a nuisance to him. To him, the only good human, is a dead human.And yet...Here he was watching and watching, waiting for that one human to come out from the land and step to the shore.And when she does...... Sans has to hold himself back from taking you.But he will.And no one will be there to stop him from getting you....Someone notices.





	1. The Shadow that Lurks Underwater

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh.... UHH... So... I can explain-  
This just came to me in a dream 2-3 days ago and suddenly, BAM, "I WANNA WRITE THAT RIGHT NOW" Eheh... Already thinking of 10 chapters and I'm... Uh... Well. I don't even have a fix ending yet ahah;;  
Umh, I really don't know!! Is this odd? I don't know... The urge to write this just came out of the blue *wink* and now I'm doing it so... If you want to see an obsessive water skeleton, then here you go!  
... That is an odd set of words.  
Oh, and there is violence in the middle, so be careful to those who are triggered by violence!  
I hope... This isn't... Too odd...  
Mmmh.... Nervous and shaky ;-;

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans hates humans. He couldn't care about them less, if they weren't such a nuisance to him. To him, the only good human, is a dead human.  
And yet...  
Here he was watching and watching, waiting for that one human to come out from the land and step to the shore.  
And when she does...  
... Sans has to hold himself back from taking you.
> 
> But he will.  
And no one will be there to stop him from getting you.

Sans climbed up the glossy wet rock, climbing up tentacle by tentacle, dragging him up. This was a safe rock. It was big and rounded at the back, flat on the front. _The side facing land_. He could make sure his soft tentacles wouldn't get damaged from this side... And he could keep hidden from any of those land creatures that he so often had problems with. 

Humans.

Sans wasn't too fond of humans. In fact, he hated most of them. They cause too many problems. Too fidgety. So puny, weak, and a waste of space. Even more so, the really problematic ones he encountered that thought they could threaten him and thought with their slow dumb human brains to use him for themselves, that they could hurt him, or even funnier, capture him. Thankfully for him, he didn't need to deal with those annoying and problematic ones for too long. If they annoyed him enough after he gave them a chance and a warning to back off…

Let's just say he didn't have to go hunting for food anymore that day.

So Sans hates humans. And yet he was there, black tentacles suctioned onto the rock, watching the shores intently.

Thats's another advantage of the rock he's perched on... The rock he perched on everyday, for the reason he was perched on it right now. It keeps him hidden from view... But he can get a clear view of the shore. And it was quite close too... He'd wait and wait for hours on end for the one he hoped to see. He could wait forever if he needed to.

Some of his tentacles flailed about excitedly, unable to stay still, as he put his hands on the rock, continuing to wait, his head poking out from behind the rock. Then… From out of the forest, the one he always waited for.

  
Today was a lucky day. He _just_ got onto the rock when he found the one he loved to watch.

A human… No- **_the_** human.

As said before, Sans hates humans. Can’t stand being near them for too long before his tentacles go out of control and strangle them to death to feed him. But… _That one_…

A human woman, in a very pretty, very cute, white dress. Walking on the shore. She had a black ribbon wrapped around the waist area of the dress she was wearing, and was wearing an adorable white sunhat to match. Sans’ eyelights dilated, hands gripping onto the rock harder, his tentacles stuttering at the sight of her.

_every time. _Every time he sees her… He seems to barely have any control over himself. He’s so lucky she comes to the coastline as often as she did. If she didn’t… Sans might get desperate enough to break onto land just to find her. Every step she takes closer to the water… To the point that she puts those cute little feet in the shallows-!

“ngh…” Sans had to grab onto himself, his tentacles curling onto the rock a little more, some of them raising up to wrap onto themselves in their excitement. Every time he sees you, his instincts go haywire. He just wants to grab onto your adorable form and drag you back into the ocean with him, wrapped in his tentacles.

If he hates humans so much… Why does _that_ one tempt him so?

Not a lot of humans come to this shore, not anymore.

Not if they’re not going onto a boat on the pier just a bit ways form here.

Not when they want to care.

This is Skull Reef. _Heh_, what a fitting name for an area where a half skeleton, half octopus being like him lives in right? But, the fact that he was half skeleton wasn’t the reason why they named the Reef so.

… _Well…_ He kind of is _one_ of the reasons people don’t come to this area often.

It’s monsters like him that drive the humans away, and honestly, Sans couldn’t be happier.

Monsters and humans don't get along. How can you really get along with a species that has a knack for eating your kind?

It’s monsters like him that don’t blink a socket when they find a human in the water, and don’t hesitate for a second to eat them when they have a chance. Not that they hunt humans in particular… Just when the chance arises, humans are just easy meal.

And Skull Reef was teeming with monsters like him.

Well, enough monsters lived here to scare the humans who fear for their safety. But then… You.

Sans’ breathing got rougher when he saw every little splash your feet made as you walked along the shoreline, not even bothering to look to the deeper water, to watch for anyone who might get so desperate, or get too tempted to jump her and drag her into the waters for a quick kill.

… You didn’t have to, anyways. Not while he’s there. No one’s going to lay a single scratch on _his mate_ while he’s watching.

… What had gotten him hooked (_heheh-_) on your line?

_It was what… Maybe a year ago?_

Sans never bothered with the shore. Nothing interesting ever happened on land. Anything that interested _him_ in particular. There were a couple of monsters that liked to tease and scare the rare, rare chance a human comes, or when they’re daring enough, or daring _each other_ to, to jump out of the water and catch them for the thrill and fun. Other than that there were trees. Seagulls. Whatever.

While Sans _did_ find it rather amusing when the other monsters were messing around with those land dwellers, he was too lazy to ever get involved past the position of _spectator._ And even then, he’d find the monsters too rowdy and loud for his liking. Especially the fact that his little hiding spot, the place where he _sleeps_, is close to the shore line, sometimes they just kept him up. And at that point, Sans might actually get _motivated_ to drive those monsters away from his territory- _Then maybe take the kill for himself…_

But then... something happened.

It was a bad day, Sans hadn’t eaten. He felt a bit weak- but not too weak. Just tired, that’s all. He wasn’t motivated enough to find food either… So on that particular day, all he really did was do rounds in his territory, warding off the nearby monsters that got too close without even really needing to do anything. Just crawling on the sandy floors on all eights, wandering around like it’s no one’s business, hoping that a morsel would come by by chance. Slow day.

… At one point though, a small boat had arrived above him. Being very loud and fast at that, with the boat being a jet boat. Loud and droning like a helicopter if viewed from the perspective of a human- cutting through the waters above him without a care.

Yes, Sans was annoyed by the noise but, he wouldn’t have really bothered… If they left quickly.

But no- they would get to the edge of territory… Then turn right back. They kept doing this a couple of times, back and forth, back and forth, _always staying in his territory._ Sans got _really_ pissed… He almost could logic away that they were just some dumb juvenile humans who wanted a thrill of the speed of the jet boat, and being little annoying daredevils going back and forth in Skull Reef, to test their bravery perhaps. If they’d done so for a few minutes at best, then actually _left_, Sans would’ve given them the benefit of the doubt and just go to sleep in his cave like nothing ever happened.

That did not happen. Instead, after an unbearably long amount of time just getting on Sans’ nerves, what with the endless whirring and unnatural crashing of the big waves it caused, it stopped. Sans didn’t have ears per se, but he had been holding his skull as if he had them.

_why the fuck did it stop _**_here?!_** Sans growled in his mind, unbelieving that humans could get _this_ annoying.

He heard a few shouts on the boat, belonging to an adult, to his slight surprise. _even their fully grown adults have a brain with the capacity of a rock._ Sans thought, sneering, as he looked at a rock on the bed.

It seemed like there were only two people on the boat, with the voices he heard, both male.

Sans was just thinking on whether to escape somewhere else where it’s less rowdy with _less humans_, or shove their boat somewhere else- when something got in the water. _Now that was a big red flag._ He stood stunned for a moment, trying to figure out what those humans had thrown in- _was it a bomb?!_

… No… it was some kind of metal cylinder, attached to a rope… That shouldn’t be a bomb. What were they… Scientists-

“DDDAAGGHH-“

Sans was quickly shot out of his own mind- when a sudden wave of **shock** passed through his body- So strong that it made him twitch all over, not just his tentacles- but even his bony half. It was painful and searing- and seemed to be burning his **_soul_**\- But it wasn’t unbearable. He quickly put a fist in front of his ribcage, near his soul to somehow make it less painful- sending calming magic through his phalanges so that at least his soul wouldn’t hurt so much.

When his mind found enough consciousness to actually look at the perpetrator- _that metal piece of shit!- _He quickly summoned a black bone to the side of the other hand not protecting his soul, and shot it against what he now understands is a cable.

The pain didn’t stop immediately- the metal piece of shit was still a bit charged from earlier, and now the cable was sending uncontrolled shots of electricity everywhere- albeit in spurts with a small window of inactivity in between. Sans took a moment to stabilize, his vision hazy, spinning, and seeing double at his surroundings, planning to shoot out of the water and rip the throats out of those humans- when thankfully, whoever fucks were standing on top of the boat realized they’d lost some weight on their line, tugging the cable in confused jerks, then finally pulling it out of the water.

As soon as the violent jerks and spasms in his body stopped, as soon as his body stopped screaming in pain- he took the metal junk in one of his tentacles and made it up to the surface of the water, breaking out of it in blinding speed, the water highlighting the sun’s rays, blinding the humans. He landed on the side of the boat heavily, clinging onto it with his 8 limbs, causing it to rock back and forth violently. He stood there silently watching, magic flaring in his bones furiously.

“SHIT!” One of them yelled, stumbling back. Sans’ tentacle twisted tighter around the metal rod, while the rest of him twitched with rage.

“heya.” He smiled, easy, while his eyelights shone intensely. “think ya uh, dropped somethin’ in my waters, humans.”

He threw the metal junk with such force at one of the human’s head, that his skin cut and blood was dripping out of him. His grin twisted into something crueler at the sight.

“WHAT THE HELL MAN-“ The other human, staggering to his companion who was on the floor of the boat, _somehow conscious,_ holding his head in his hand. “Y-YOU OK?!”

“FUCK OFF-“ The other one yelled, wobbling onto his feet, “PAY ATTENTION TO THE TARGET!”

_target?_ Sans snorted, “you mean, _prey?”_

“Whatever!” The one he now noticed to be in the red hat with a face that, he believes deserved to be punched- shoved the other one with a beard and mustache in the messy white shirt. “Get the fuck’n spear ya idiot!”

Sans shook his head, sockets closed, while his tentacles continued to twitch around angrily. “now what would we need that for, boys?”

“Shutup ya _monster!”_ The red hatted human spat, making Sans’ sockets pop open in pure hate, “Just stay still-“

He only spat out in pain when he was back on the floor, a black glistening bone protruding out of his shoulder. Tsk-ing and shaking his head in disappointment, he crawled over slowly onto the boat properly, the tentacles making wet suctioning noises as he approached, taking glee in the face the human in the red hat was showing.

“no can do, _bud._ why should i?” He said simply, not even turning to look at the other human, catching the pathetic spear jab at him, raising a tentacle, immediately wrapping around it tightly. It was just a few inches from his skull, but he couldn’t care less. His other tentacles quickly made work of his hands, catching them and holding on tight, the bearded human making pathetic noises in panic. “as you said, i _am_ a monster.”

“This is why-“ The hatted human tried to retort, failing, as he only made disgusting choking noises when now another bone is protruding from him- from his _throat_. He smiled wider as his eyelights continued to radiate hate, feeling the remaining human falling back on his bottom, his legs unable to carry him anymore from the fight he was trying to put up.

“so.” He closed his sockets, taking a deep breath, trying his best not to snap the other human’s neck immediately, “what did you want?” His skull snapped to the human, eyelights gone without a trace, showing the aching, black void to the human.

It seemed to scare him enough. He was tugging from the tentacle that locked his hands desperately while his feet kicked weakly on the floor, not even reaching Sans. He found that annoying and pinned them to the floor. “w e l l ?” One of Sans’ hands snapped to clench his throat while the other held his stupid head away from him, forcing the human's head to bend back while also keeping their eyes to look at him. “you attack me at my home… what else did you expect?”

“t e l lm ew h a ty o uw a n t e d ,**h u m a n .**”

The way the human sputtered and squirmed was _really _testing the limits of his patience and hands, that stupid fucking face practically begging him to end his life.

“W- You’re the ones who eat us!” The human attempted to look angry but immediately dissolving back into fear, “Plus, we figured we can get two birds in one stone! We heard of the slower and harmless monster near the shore, we could get ‘em and send ‘im in to check on ya, ya devil!”

_oh, so they wanted to experiment on me or some bullshit?_ Sans thought bitterly, as he stared down the human with empty sockets mercilessly.

“slow and harmless huh? i guess that _could_ describe me.” Sans shrugged, still holding the human’s face as far away from him as possible, “but… you should know by now that that isn’t entirely the case, don’t you human?”

He nodded pathetically fast, the feeling unpleasant in his hands.

“if you promise to be good… maybe you can tell the ones up there that i ain’t interested on _beaching_. catch my _drift?”_ He tilted his head, sockets crinkling despite the empty void sitting behind them.

“Yes- please- I won’t come back again.” The human’s eyes practically begging him to let him live.

Too bad for him that Sans could tell easily he wasn’t going to keep him up on that promise. He can’t really blame him, he hates making and keeping promises himself.

“oh. ok then.” Sans said cheerfully, grin so wide that it was starting to get painful. He let go of the human, keeping the spear to himself. “go ahead. just don’t e v e rc o m eb a c k.” Sans warned falsely, backing away from the human. As soon as he did, the human stood up and quickly picked up that ‘tough’ face on again, looking to him with disgust that Sans found amusing. _the feeling’s mutual, pal._

As soon as he got to the wheel, Sans piped up again. “oh, and you better keep steady on that wheel. can be kinda difficult to drive around with two dead bodies being _dead weight_ on your boat,”

The human seemed about to turn around to correct him in his idiocy, not able to understand what Sans meant. But he froze in his spot, fixed in his position, now that 3 black bones were piercing him on the hands and in the chest, effectively attaching him to the wheel.

Sans chuckled darkly, admiring his work for a few moments before he called back the bones on the bodies. Better get them to use, no point in just leaving perfectly fresh bodies on the boat as display- someone else is going to get fed.

… After making quick work of the two (he hadn’t eaten for awhile and was quite famish), he grunted off the boat, landing back in the water with a splash, blood still lingering on his teeth, floating aimlessly in the water. He didn’t mind, let the others arrive. They won’t find anything…

Though, just after awhile, he saw a swish of a tail in the periphery of his vision. A familiar… Red… Fish tail. He shot a glare at the spot he saw it before it disappeared into a group of rocks, sending a crackle of magic in the water as a warning. He doesn’t want to deal with anyone at the moment.

He looked back at the boat, staring… Now he has a useless, slightly bloodied metal junk above him, spoiling the view in his territory. Humans are just… so… Messy. He has to clean up after all that mess. And he was already exhausted from his little _encounter_ earlier. His tentacles can still feel the sting of electricity that surged through him earlier.

Tediously, he dragged the boat slowly to the shore line, near the always quiet and empty concrete pier, pushing and pulling with his tentacles- having the boat in the water he can move it around easily. He was already a panting mess when he finally got to the block of grey sitting on the shore- but the boat was _still_ in his waters. Fucking metal useless shit. Sans grimaced as he tiredly climbed onto the pier to perch on it. He needed to rest a moment before he made his next move. He took a few breaths of air, sitting slumped on the pier as he stared down into the boat that had red smeared in several areas- his eyelights stopping at a piece of large fabric that was sitting inside.

It was getting cold, the fact that he’s wet and out of water, and the fact that it had gotten dark by the time he got to the shore with the heap of metal in tow. He leaned in, pulling the boat a little closer, dipping a tentacle in to grab the fabric and wrap it around himself, over his skull and limbs. Breathing slower at the warmth, he stared back at the boat tiredly.

_damn it._ He thought as he prepared himself.

He enveloped the boat in his magic, the metal lighting up faintly of blue as it raised slowly from the water. Fuck, he was already starting to sweat as he raised it higher and higher into the air, water trickling down its side. He looked to the side at the beach much further up the shore, where he knows humans liked to frequent and will definitely notice this metal trash, bothering their sunny vacations with its ugliness. They will definitely take care of it, unlike if he dropped it at the beach behind him, where humans rarely dared to walk through.

With a heavy grunt, he threw his hands up to the side, throwing the boat with it, releasing his magic midway to let inertia carry the boat the rest of the way. Sans breathed heavily, eyeing the boat, as it landed on the beach far away form his, landing with a short, messy shower of sand, and a thump that even he could hear it from this distance.

Sans was exhausted. Both his bones and tentacles ached from the earlier shock, minor fight, and tedious tidying up of the mess. He sat there continuing to pant heavily as he stared at the water with disinterest in entering again. He could sleep here for all he cared, tonight.

He was starting to get there too, pulling the rough brown fabric over his bare bones a little more, starting to feel the chill of the night as he started to doze off…

“Hello?”

Sans’ sockets popped back awake, widening as his eyelights shrunk to the size of a dot. _who’s that?_

“Um…”

The voice came from behind him. And it sounded clear to him. In fact it sounded _soft, delicate._ But if the voice came from behind… That would mean… That that was a hu-

“Are you ok?” A hand landed behind him, and he tensed. And even though the fabric was rough and slightly thick- he could feel that it was warm, and soft through the little holes in that same fabric. He froze, looking away from the source of the voice.  _<strike>He has to kill them</strike>-_ But his body was aching and the stunt of throwing away the boat had left him empty of magic. He didn’t have enough energy to dive in, nor get rid of the human so dangerously close to him.

She crouched down gently to his perching form, and he had to look away- she’s going to see the white lights of his and _scream_, and he would have to be forced to pull her into the water to drown her. He's too tired for that.

“Um… Sorry if I’m bothering you… But, you look like you could use some company.” She let go of his back- and while just a few seconds earlier he had wanted to answer her _“no, leave me alone,”_, with her hand away from him… He suddenly felt the need to have it back on him, to have her presence.

“Uh- though- I could be wrong- I-is it ok if I sit here, with you?” She asked hesitantly, and out of the corner of his socket he could see that she was fidgeting.

His soul fluttered.

_… what?_

He nodded quickly after, tapping the space beside him with his hand masked by the fabric- she’d be scared to see a skeletal hand invite her to sit with him.

He looked up at her wearily- and saw her smile nervously yet kindly. “Oh… Thank you.”

_Bump_.

His cheekbones felt hot all of a sudden. He watched with curious eyelights as the human sat beside him, leaving some space, her feet dangling off the edge of the pier.

… He was transfixed. She looked… She looked beautiful.

Actually, he would have appreciated it if you gave him space but… Now he actually wanted to close that little space between him and you.

“So…” She fidgeted with her hands, looking away from his direction, “What brings you here?” She looked back at him, and Sans had to restrain himself from showing himself right then and there.

He wanted to say something, but only sighed heavily in response, looking down to the water.

“… Not a good day?”

He shook his head. He wanted to ask back but… Maybe he shouldn’t talk. At all. So he nodded to you, trying to ask the same thing.

“Oh, me?” _you understood him immediately-_ “I, um… I just came to check the place out… Not a lot of people come here.”

_bad decision._ Sans couldn’t help but scold in his mind, _you could get killed so easily here…_

You could’ve gotten killed by him. You’re sitting _right next_ to **him**, you’d be such easy prey if he hadn’t eaten earlier, and if he wasn’t so tired,  <strike> _and if he didn’t want to kill you_ </strike> _-_

“It’s… Nice, that not a lot of people come here to bother in this place. I mean, I’m not going to say _oh, we humans, we just trash the place we go to,_” You said in a joking tone, and Sans huffed amusedly, “But… This place is untouched. It’s really beautiful to look at,” You said softly, staring into the distance, and Sans noticed the moon was reflected off the water.

Sans smiled a little bit more genuinely. _yeah._ Good thing he got rid of that junk  <strike> before you came . </strike>

“You like this place too?”

Sans nodded laxly. It’s his home.

“Yeah. People say not to come here because of the monsters but,” Sans flinched at that, but thankfully you weren’t looking at him. “No way is that going to keep me from seeing a view like this.” You laughed, small, the sound increasing the beating of his soul for unknown reasons.

“…” Sans saw your hands curled in your lap,  <strike> getting the sudden urge to hold them, </strike> “Um, sorry… I hope I’m not bothering you with my talk? Do you want to be left alone?”

Sans shook his head eagerly, _no, stay with him, don’t go,_ waving his hands pathetically at the pier.

“Oh… Alright,” You smiled to him shyly, you had leaned your body away from him from his flailing. You leaned back. And… Sans couldn’t help but lean in to you a little. But not too close that you’re touching, or too close that you’d notice his… _fleshlessness._

“Well… If you want, do you just want to watch the waters?” You offered, shrugging nervously, the shy smile still on your face. His smile got wider, eyelights fuzzing softly. He nodded gently, setting his hands to the side. You both looked to the water, watching the dazzling light display of the moon, feeling the calm air on your skin and his bones.

…

Sans… Enjoyed this. He liked feeling your presence, sitting side by side without the thought of you being human even once crossing his thoughts. Watching the waves, hearing them break gently on the shore on either side of you… He didn’t go on to land much, but the water looked just as beautiful from above. Especially watching it with someone who was so gentle, quiet, and understanding, without him even needing to say a word. He saw you put a hand on the pier next to his covered one. He… He really wanted  <strike> to put his hand on yours </strike> …

Who thought that the angry, bitter feelings of fighting with the most miserable humans he’d met that day, would be sedated by _another_ human, who was just there to calmly watch the water with a stranger, a _dangerous_ stranger?

He… He wouldn’t mind if you stayed longer. _Much, much longer_.

…

…

…….

_How long has he sat with you?_

A yawn. The noise made his tentacles stiffen, it  <strike> sounded so cute . </strike>

“Hm… It’s getting cold… I need to get home.” You looked up, after seeming to start to doze off, <strike>possibly </strike> <strike> flopping onto him if you stayed longer </strike> .

_wait, what?_ His sockets widened form the calm state he was in earlier- _no, don’t go-_

You stood up, and he felt his tentacles agitate and curl and flex, making grabbing motions under the pier to where your legs were hanging from just moments ago. He grabbed onto the fabric tighter to ground himself. He tried to quiet his breaths- _Why did he want to grab you so much?_

“What about you? It's getting late...” You stood still, looking at him with hopeful(?) eyes.

He had to steady himself first, his tentacles threatening to lash out at you to pull you under, their movements getting increasingly agitated by the second. He breathed in and out. Then he shook his head slowly, afraid that if he sped up, he would lose control and grab you. He carefully tapped the pier as a vague answer.

“Oh, you’re going to stay here?” You looked to the side hesitantly, as his tentacles kept curling tighter around themselves screaming at him to **_grab her_**, “Ok. Well, I’m going to go ahead, sorry for bothering you!”

_no_

_you didn’t bother me_

_come back_

** _s t a y_ **

You were moving away from him.

“I hope I’ll see you again sometime!”

He looked back, and you were waving to him hesitantly, probably wondering if he had disliked your presence all this time.

_you couldn’t get wronger than that_

** _stay stay stay_ **

By the time you’ve left him and entered back into the trees behind him, Sans was back to panting, his tentacles revealing themselves after he knew you couldn’t see him again. Wrapping around themselves, wrapping around his hands as he clenched his fists.

He… He needed to calm down. His eyelights flitted to where he saw you last through the woods, his limbs already starting to climb onto the pier fully without conscious effort, continuing to breath heavily.

He stopped once he realized what his body had aimed him to do, grabbing onto the pier as his tentacles seemed to not listen to him, telling him to _go to her, go to her._ He grounded himself again, taking slower breaths, crawling backwards, falling into the ocean.

…

That’s the closest he ever got to you.

The urge in him… To drag you under, to keep you in his territory had never quelled. In fact it seemed to increase whenever he saw that cute little form of yours, tempting him to the shores. Teasing him as you walked in the shallows, approaching the pier.

The closest he’s ever been to you ever since that night was when you sat again, on that pier, attaching himself under the water to it. Forcing his tentacles to grab onto the pier harshly instead of attaching themselves to you and never let go.

… He had never actively looked for a mate, but… He had been wishing it in secret. He rarely meets monsters that get close enough to him to even have a full conversation, let alone get to know him and make him want their presence. He hadn’t experienced someone else that his tentacles ached to latch onto and hold forever. Who ever thought that the one he'd want to be with would end up being… A _human?_

You came to this beach everyday. _And_ _he watched you everyday._

Which is why the other monsters rarely ever came over to this part of the reef anymore. They never have gotten to the beach anymore. The first few times they tried to while _you were near_, he quickly… Dispatched them, sending a warning to the others that he’s keeping his territory clearer now. He’s not ever going to be lenient, not anymore.

It was also the reason of his increasing contact with **other **humans. The useless ones. The ones that didn't matter to him. He often meets them during the times he’s checking the shores, looking for **you**, and getting disappointed. Honestly he _tried_ to keep their lives intact, but when you go to the shore often you’re bound to come face to face with one of them, and of course they have to scream and panic, and he has to put them _out of commission_…. Though that wasn’t the only reason he got rid of them. _His _beach would only be allowed for you.

You’re _his mate_, after all. **_His _**_mate_**_._**

He found himself grunting in frustration as his body continued to ache to have you with him, watching you sit on the pier.

He doesn’t know how, or when he’ll take you, but…

He will.

You’re his mate.

It’s just a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Fiddling with fingers*  
How was... How was that..?  
This is more of a prologue, I JUST finished this so... Things happen in the next one. And pay attention to those "other __ to be added"... ;)  
But my focus is mixed at the moment so updates are wobbly... As it probably will be, with me.  
I hope this was ok..? Ahah, I don't know, this just came to me and I just wanted to write... (Also I know octopi don't really keep territory, juust in case someone went 'wait, but' hehe ouo;)  
If you want to, go ahead and leave a comment! (I hope this is ok aaaaaaaa)  
(also I have [tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com) if you wanna ask anything... it's still empty ;w;)


	2. To Steal a Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance arises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wakes up from metaphorical nap* Ok, let's open up ao3- *sees this* o-o  
... Clearly I underestimated how much people like mermaids and cecaelias.  
So, a really, *really* quick update! Since I see the previous chapter as a prologue I wanted this out sooner! I REALLY hope it doesn't look rushed;;  
Also, as you can see in the tags, tentacles. Just... Hm, you know, grabby little suckers. ovo;;  
First half is reader's perspective, it takes awhile but stay with me! Things happen at the other half. ;)  
AAAAA I HOPE THIS IS OK  
I MADE IT QUICKLY BECAUSE I WAS EXCITED EHAJHRJAHKHAJHA

You were excited!

You were going to ride a boat along the coastline for a day, all the way into night time. And better yet... The boat ride was going to go through Skull Reef! That was so rare- they would usually stop before, or go around the reef. But they have assured that you will be safe.

At first you were a little skeptical, worried that they were testing out a new measure against the monsters or something- some unpleasant people really seemed to trouble themselves with the monsters that lived in the ocean. But after a reassurance that they weren't testing weapons or anything...You decided to go! They said that as long as you don't disturb them, the monsters wouldn't get agitated. They were going to sail as quietly as they can through Skull Reef. If a monster did decide to attack them for some reason, they assured that the commotion would be heard and they can hurry to rescue you. That's fine. You're just glad that they were going to be one of the few, few boats that were 'brave' enough to sail through Skull Reef! Sure, you've heard of the 'monsters eating humans' stories but... You'd assume it's probably caused by human provocation.

So if they're going to go gliding through your favorite waters silently, letting you actually get close to the deeper waters without worrying that you're going to be blindsided by an attack from the deep... Of course you're going to go! Skull Reef is your favorite place to go to during down time. It's just so relaxing, quiet… Despite the ‘danger’, nothing’s ever happened to you. Beautiful and mysterious, alluring. Though you don’t see a lot of people there anymore, aside from the one time you met someone who sat on the pier, a long time ago. Sometimes, you wonder what happened to them. You hoped they were ok... While you were lucky _you_ were never attacked, someone else might... The stories of disappearing people coming to mind.

You quickly ran to the beach near Skull Reef, sand flying behind you as you stood there near the gently rolling waves, the sunrise and morning air feeling pleasant on your skin. You took a deep breath of fresh air with a side of salt. You held your ticket close to your chest while you watched the water bob and flow ahead of you. You were going to be sailing in the deep today! You’re going to be above those waters today! You were so excited that you’ve decided to visit Skull Reef early in the morning before going to the boat that was up the shore. It was going to set sail at around 9 AM.

You walked up to the waves breaking on the shore, dipping your feet into them, enjoying the pleasantly cool water washing you. You sighed as you plopped down to sit on the beach, just far enough that while your feet was in the water, your clothes wouldn’t get wet, still on dry sand. You leaned back while you hugged your knees, sighing happily as you closed your eyes. You’re going to stay here just awhile, until you need to get up and get to the boat…

You leaned forward again, resting your head on your knees while you breathed slowly.Waves lapping gently on the tip of your legs. Man, if Skull Reef wasn’t as dangerous as it is, you would have tried to swim in it, the water just felt so nice and welcoming.

You stayed there for... You’re not sure how long really, until you felt the warmth of the sun starting to heat up and hit your face a little harder, and you blinked your eyes open sleepily. A small yawn coming from you, you stood up, brushing the sand that was around your legs and backside, stepping out of the water. You made a small stretch, sighing satisfied, as you started to walk up shore.

_ … Not noticing an out of place splash from the reef as you did so. _

As you progressively walk much, much further away from your favorite reef, you started to feel the sun beating down on you harder, and the nice relative silence melt away into a more crowded buzz. Leaving the forest that sat near your favorite beach, was now a black asphalt road, starting to fill the air with whizzing cars, along with a few shrill honks. The fresh air had also slowly turned into the smell of the sun hitting down on the black road. And a little bit ways up ahead, was the touristy part of the coastline. Where there was only sand, water, sun, and people. Lying down on the beach or swimming. You’re not going to say there’s anything wrong about that, or complain about it… It’s just you prefer the quiet, serene, secluded beach you’d just left. It’s more to your taste. But you do like it as it is now, with people rarely visiting, keeping the place clean, and not loud… You could already hear the music they’d play on the tourist area in your mind. Certainly a sign of vacations and fun times… Just… Not your thing, really. And you’re not quite a city person either. Different people, different likes.

You walked as the sun progressively raised above the water, still not hot enough that you can hear the air around you sizzling, but hot enough that you would sweat a little if you were out long enough. That’s fine, you were getting close to your destination, the tourist beach, where the boat awaits.

Since it was morning, the beach wasn’t crowded like it usually is, but even then there were already people on those colorful striped towels, umbrellas in the sand, people wearing sunglasses. A beach ball rolled your way as a kid in red and white polka-dotted swimming shorts ran past you. You made a small smile. This isn’t bad! It’s much more calm and respectful than some other tourist areas you can think of. You’re glad you could live near a pretty natural beach, and a safe beach where people weren't too rowdy.

Your smile widened as you saw the docks ahead, with the boat you were going to ride bobbing above the water. You don’t know what time it is at the moment, but you’re glad you seem to have come to the boat on time. Your walk turned into a little sprint as you raced to the dock. You climbed up the stone steps, and already, you saw a person waiting near a bridge to your designated boat, signaling you that it was going to leave soon. Great! You didn’t have to wait much longer!

You quickly walked up to the man, showing your ticket eagerly. He took it, examining it, then nodded, ushering you onto the small hovering bridge. You smiled sunnily at him, happily crossing it onto the boat.

It’s been long! How long has it been since you rode your last boat?

It was a medium sized ferry, and when you look at it it has a structure similar to a cruise ship- It had a sizable indoor area where you can eat, drink, or just sit back and relax. There were at least two levels that you were aware of, you were on the bottom level. There were seats over here as well. Aside from the door that had led you inside, this level had walls all around it, with a big wide window up front, extending a little to the side, while halfway through there were only small round windows. This level was close enough to the water that waves would regularly splash onto the windows.

To choose being above, feeling the sun on your back and watching the sea... Or to be here, closer to the water along with sea spray occasionally covering the windows, but with little sun…

You decided that, at least for now, you’re going to go to the top deck with the indoor restaurant.

You went to the stairs on the front, feeling the boat wobbling slightly, making your steps feel weird. And… Would you look at that! They have stairs leading down as well!

If they have windows down there, you’re sold.

After checking that yes, indeed passengers are allowed to go to the boat's bottom, you strode down the stairs.

… There weren’t a lot of things down there. Quite empty with what you assumed was an engine room at the end. Cramped, just a few steps and you’re already at the wall of the engine room. But… They did have windows. Very, _very_ few windows that were also small and round and didn’t provide that much viewing.

Then again, they were still underwater windows. So of course, you excitedly went to one of the painfully restrictive windows, that barely fit your face. Being narrow, you stuck your face as close as you could to it.

… You didn’t see much of anything, being that the boat was still docked. Just the relatively thin pillar of the docks, sunlight casting down the water making odd mosaic patterns, sand, and blue as far as the eye can see.

Maybe you’ll come back down here later… Oh, when you’re in Skull Reef you should come down here! Who knows what you’ll see? Who else can say they’ve seen inside the waters of Skull Reef and live?

… Or... Maybe not… If a monster were to see a human at the window in their home, they might not be too thrilled.

After finishing looking at, _practically nothing_, you walked away from the window to walk back up the stairs, as you could hear the engines in the room next to you starting to whirr. You went up the stairs-

_Thump._

You stopped when you heard the dull thud. You jumped in surprise to look back at the source of the noise- that did _not_ sound like it came from the engine room.

You looked back at the window you were at before… But other than a few bubbles, there wasn’t anything else.

_Did something drop? Or was it actually the engine?_ You thought warily. Hopefully it wasn’t the engine. As it got louder and louder, you decided that you probably don’t want to go back down here, it was getting noisy and by the time the boat’s on its way, it’ll probably be droning into your ear.

You walked up the stairs all the way up to the deck above, greeted by the nice sunlight coming down as you emerged from the floor below. Not a terribly large amount of people were there. Which is great! It wasn’t going to be crowded, and it wasn’t going to be too loud. The indoor restaurant took most of the space, sitting in the middle, leaving narrow walking spaces around it. The front of the deck was spacious, however. Most of the passengers were standing here, talking with each other. You looked back at the restaurant, the front having the captain’s room. The captain was already there, talking with someone. After awhile, the other person, who you assumed was a crew member, walked out.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen,” He walked up to the small crowd at the front, “We’re setting off!”

You watched the bridge downstairs being withdrawn, door closing. The boat drifted away from the dock, heading towards deeper water. 

You went to the rest of the people aboard to make small conversations… Missing a dark figure darting in the water below you, closer to the ship.

* * *

... You smiled as you finished your meal. You stood up from your seat, cleaning up your plate. Yes, the restaurant is nice and cheery… But while there were wide windows facing the front of the boat, you wanted to be outside to taste the salty air… And you were here, you were at Skull Reef!

It was dark already, lights turned on at the front deck. The boat was sailing by smoothly and silently now, cutting through the quiet waters. You saw the moon lazily climbing the sky while watching the peaceful waters.

It was a nice day, filled with idle chatter and enjoyable views of the sun’s rays reflecting off the deep blue. It was getting to the end of the trip. Soon enough, you were going to get off the boat. You were alone outside, the rest of the people being inside the restaurant, still eating dinner. It seems that not a lot of people wanted to be outside during the night, preferring to settle down inside. But this was your reason for riding this specific boat in the first place- you wanted to see Skull Reef at a closer distance.

You exited through the door on the side, immediately turning to go to the back of the ship, where it was darker. You decided to go there specifically because there was no lights on, and you can feel the ocean night more. The lights reflecting off the water harshly made the waters look murky, and you wouldn’t be able to see anything there.

You felt the gentle chill of the night against your skin, as you went to the fenced part at the very back of the boat. There were no windows here, and you don’t understand- there was a really nice view here! But, it did make you feel that secluded, private, secret feeling in your chest again, like when you were strolling alone on the sands of Skull Reef. No one is watching you from the inside, and it is unlikely someone is going to go outside. The boat had been circling around going further up shore, then turned back at a point to go further into the sea, finally coming down to Skull Reef to come back to the docks. Skull Reef wasn’t their specific destination, they just so happened to pass through it on the way home. You don’t think boats are going to regularly come by here any time soon, since no one but you seemed to be eager to be here.

You rested your hands on the back of the boat, staring at the gently dancing water, enjoying the quiet, dim blue light that surrounded you. People would say that since it was dark and you were above Skull Reef, that people would be scared. But… How can people deny such a pleasant view, along with a nice atmosphere? You felt the wind brush against you quietly as you settle your head down on the fenced edge of the boat, staring at the waters lazily, watching the clear water revealing a little of what was within. Some corals, rocks… Seaweed… You closed your eyes, and yawned.

…

……

You’re going to fall asleep at this rate.

After what you think was enough time drinking the atmosphere, you blinked your eyes open, straightening your back. After a huff, you turned around…

Then froze on your place, gasping quietly. Your eyes went wide as something- no- _Someone_ blocked your way.

White lights stared back at you in the dark, a mass of something black and wet waving around, under the body of a… skeleton. He watched you intently as he came down from the wall of the eatery, putting a bony finger up to his mouth.

His lights pinned you to your spot. You couldn't move.

“we don’t want anybody on this boat hurt, do we?”

* * *

_she’s early, today._

Sans had just woken up that day, lazily opening his sockets as the morning light flitted gently into the waters. He picked himself up from the floor of his cave. He felt lazy at the moment but… He thought to go out early today. Might find something interesting. Or food... Food would be good anytime.

He crawled out from the mouth of his cave, taking notice to the slightly chilly morning water.

He wandered around aimlessly, creeping to the shore… When he saw someone from under the water, image distorted by the waves, approaching. He instinctively backed away from the shallows, but stopped when he noticed how familiar they looked.

He immediately felt awakened after that, heading back to his watching rock. He climbed it up and… Sure enough, there you were. He sighed adoringly as he saw you take a deep breath, your hands on your chest. You walked forward, dipping your feet just at the water’s edge, sitting down on the sand.

He eyed you unwaveringly, as his tentacles stiffen and waved sporadically, unconsciously searching for your body, craving to wrap themselves around you. His hands started to grip the rock mercilessly, grin widening as he grunted, trying to retain self control.

You looked so peaceful, in _his_ waters...

_beautiful. absolutely beautiful._

His soul hummed louder the longer he saw you sitting there, blissfully enjoying the morning,  <strike> along with him </strike> .

The wind made your hair flow gently behind you. The sun lighting your skin in just the right way, making it look so incredibly tempting. **Ooh,** how much he wanted to feel you.

After awhile though, he saw you get up. _that’s faster than usual._ He thought disappointingly, watching you clean yourself up. That’s when he saw something in your hands, a piece of paper… Was it a ticket? Sans was pulled out of his little trance when you walked. But not back into the forest. You were walking along the beach.

... He decided… He was going to follow you as long as he can. As long as you stayed on the beach, he could keep an eye socket for you.

He trailed from the shallows, maintaining you in his view carefully. ... You were walking to the human-fested beach. Why were you going there? He never saw you walk there, ever. Or maybe… Maybe you did go there, but not while trailing the beach like this. The further he got from the reef, the more uncomfortable he got. He didn’t like going in this direction. Further up, you could meet humans so easily. And the water tasted less fresh, as the rocks and seaweed slowly turned into a field of fine sand. But… Sans couldn’t seem to care. Not when you were still there. _He’d follow you everywhere. He’d follow you on land if he could._

He did start to get more aware of his surroundings when you got to that beach. The beach where a bunch of humans jumped around in the shallows, occasionally swimming into the deep. Sans almost never went here, only time he could remember going here was…

He hesitated a little as a memory started to surface.

…  _not now._

Sans shook his head, locking his focus back on you. Before he went further he looked up ahead checking if there were any humans in the water… None. Thankfully it was still early enough that people haven’t been enthusiastically splashing around and getting their human stink all over the water.

His eyelights trailed you, and he saw you approaching the docks.

_good._ He has some place where he doesn’t feel completely exposed anymore.

His tentacles quickly latched onto the walls of the dock, going around it's edge it to peek out carefully out of the water, to get a better view of you. He was right, you were carrying a ticket- You had eagerly handed it to some guy on the bridge connecting the dock and the boat, afterwards giving him such a cheerful smile…

A pit of jealousy grew in his chest... But he quickly quelled it. It’s fine. He didn’t see you interact with people that often anyways. You were only being nice. You didn’t even talk to the guy.

... But still. That smile… That beautiful, _beautiful_ smile… It wasn’t for him. It was for someone else.

_He wanted that for himself._

He went down into the water grumbling incoherently, upset that he couldn’t see you. But at least he knew where you were.

He circled the boat, going around, trying to catch a glimpse of you. You were at the front window, he can kind of see your head from a certain angle but… There you went. A whine managed to escape his non-existent throat, his eyelights hungry to see your form again. He slowly backed up closer to the boat, sockets widening when he realized there were windows on the bottom. He hissed silently, quickly suctioning onto the boat’s wall so it would be difficult for anyone to see him. He stuck close to the window, some of his tentacles circling it in the slightest, the rest sprawling out behind him. The dock was empty now, no one would see him. He peeked inside the window, hoping that no one was there.

_alright. no one was there… no one saw me._ He gave a sigh of relief- when he saw a pair of legs descend the stairs. He gasped and immediately withdrew his skull from the window.

_shit… if anyone sees me… _He thought nervously. He can’t just go around killing humans in front of his mate… That could scare her. Or worse, scare her _away_ _from him._

He just needs to be patient.

He quickly tried to keep down his killing instincts from coming out. He saw a couple of humans _that wasn’t you_… And they were **_near you_**… But he can’t hurt them in front of you. He needs… To calm… Dow-

His soul started pumping harshly when he saw a human’s face getting close to the window. But not from fear or nervousness.

_It was his human._

_His mate._

_mate, mate, mate…_

Th… There she was. Her cute little head pushing up against the window, looking around with curious eyes at the water, her mouth opened in the slightest.

If Sans could sweat underwater, he would. She was just… She was just **so close!**

_It’s been so long since he got to be _ ** _so close_ ** _ to her…_

She was right there! She was at the window he was carefully sitting around on! _So close so close_ **_soclose-_**

His grin split so wide it would crack his skull. It was even hurting him a little, how wide his grin became. Instinctively, his tentacles had surrounded the metal window, tightening around the metallic circle dangerously, twisting and twitching, wanting to just **break the window and _take her TAKE HER-_**

Sans grabbed them with his hands, giving them a hard squeeze to keep himself from doing anything impulsive. _can’t let her see me- not now._ He might scare you if he looked like he was going to attack you at the window. He has to be patient,_ patient_… Any closer… Any tighter… You might see the edges of his tentacles surrounding the window hungrily.

… _Why were you staying here for so long?! _It was torturous to him, to his body, to his mind, his **soul-** You were just there, your precious face- if it weren’t for the walls separating him from you, he could _touch you_ so easily-! Sans breathed heavily, grip on his own tentacles tightening as they got even twitchier… _just wait it out, she’ll leave, she’ll leave-_

You closed your mouth and backed away from the window… Sans could breathe again. He put a hand to his chest as if his soul was going to come out of it… But then, his tentacles brought him down, bringing his skull to the window as if he were in a trance. He eyed you obsessively through the window, seeing your adorable figure walking away from the window, going to the stairs…

Sans panted angrily, now he was riled up. He got so close to you… His tentacles were starting to hit the boat quietly, flexing and curling at the sight of you. His hands clenched as he just couldn’t pry his eyelights away from you- In his fevered state, he had unwittingly hit the boat’s wall in his agitation.

His sockets widened, immediately coming back to his senses as he panically backed away from the window… You probably heard that! _shit!_ He hoped you didn’t see him! His body calmed down as he sat away from the window, back to eyeing it nervously…

…

But you didn’t come back to the window.

His tentacles relaxed from their previously stiffened state, and he let out his breath heavily. Cautiously, he let go of the boat’s walls to float freely again, and peered through the window again.

... Yep. You weren’t there anymore. You were going up the boat. You didn’t see him. You had only heard him.

…

Though…

A part of him wanted you to see him. His soul buzzed excitedly at the mere thought of you finally seeing him.

He felt the water start to shift, and the boat floating away from him. Without thinking, he quickly went back to the docks, someone could’ve see him! Looking up to check if there weren’t anyone peering over the dock, he lifted his skull out of the water inconspicuously, water dribbling down as he saw the boat getting slightly further away… Then seeing your form emerge from the top, peering down to the sea.

That was all the motivation he needed to immediately dart back to the boat’s bottom, water flowing around him as if it was air in his rush. Clinging onto it with his tentacles, he crouched down in the shadows, making sure the now wavering figure on the docks couldn't see him. His soul started to thump heavier and heavier in his ribcage as his smile formed into something delirious.

… Something in him tells him that this was going to be good. Something is going to happen. He could feel it in his bones. He sat in anticipation.

* * *

_… As if he wasn’t excited enough. At the end of the day… When night fell… The boat came to Skull Reef._

Sans didn’t even feel a hint of exhaustion in him. Didn’t feel tired or sore from staying down there. The mere fact that you were on that boat was enough for him to keep his smile wide and continue clinging on to the boat. Occasionally peering from under the water when you were looking down at  <strike> him </strike> the ocean. He didn’t feel overheated either, he didn’t move that much other than crawling around the bottom of the boat in boredom. Thankfully for him, the propellers of this boat weren’t gigantic, loud or fast, it was just lazily spinning. That is, when you compare it to other boats. It was at a regular drone that didn’t sound like a death machine, at the very least. Being under, he was also in the shade, so Sans found himself actually enjoying the cruise  <strike> along with you </strike> . They managed to get to the deeper waters where the view started to look interesting… There were some fish, sea turtles… Not a bad sight, he would say. Nothing too exciting, though. Not to him at least. It’s like when a human sees a bird flying, or a dog running by.

He actually found the ride relaxing as he started to get sleepy midway… Waking back up at dusk.

… Then at dark, the boat arrived at Skull Reef. His previous sleepy, slightly bored haze seeped out of him, getting replaced with familiarity and… Territoriality. As the night crept on and the boat changed into such a slow pace that it felt like it was just following along the waves instead of pushing forwards against it… Sans felt his magic start to boil and his patience wavering. His instincts were kicking in at the fact that he was in _his_ territory, and _his_ _mate_ was right above him… Oh yes, he was impatient. Getting _very_ impatient. He waited a year- hell- he felt like today was longer than any other time he’d watched you in the span of a day.

He could feel it.

_ It was time. _

Having being well rested and being relaxed the whole day, Sans had all his strength at the ready. His previously lax expression sharpened as his predatorial instincts kicked in at the thought of what he was going to do now. His tentacles were already twitching in excitement before he even began to move.

His grin widened and his brows furrowed between his sockets as he began to crawl away from his hiding spot. His fervent anticipation was building up in him, making him feel tingly.

He climbed up to the side, past the bottom windows, then…

He was out of the water.

That didn’t stop him.

His tentacles were already going to work- raising out of the water, looking glossy from the moonlight coming off of it… Sticking to the boat’s wall above the water level. Sans gave it a slight tug to check if he’d hold… Sockets lidding in satisfaction when he decided he would. The rest of his tentacles followed suit, coming out of the water and sticking onto the boat, slowly pulling him out of the water.

He bent his body forward closer to the boat so his weight wouldn’t be a problem, and put his hands on the wall, pushing it down. _a little help didn’t hurt no one._ He climbed up limb by limb, surprisingly effectively if anyone were watching him at the moment- It’s as if he was built for this. Sans wasn’t light- but seeing him climb the boat like that you’d think otherwise. He didn’t even break a sweat, didn’t even need the help of magic. He just kept crawling up as easily as he would be if he were crawling on the seafloor. His tentacles made small squelching noises as he continued to climb.

_this boat’s so dandy- there’re walls everywhere._ _so easy to climb._

_There was going to be nothing that’ll get in his way to his mate._

His soul thumped harder as he approached the top deck. Expertly peering up it to check if anyone was there.

… _Ooh, this was going to be _**_easy._**

There was no one outside. And there were no lights at the back. Absolutely perfect.

Knowing you and your keen interest in Skull Reef, you were bound to go outside some time. You had always looked so eager when you peered down the waters here… _And he’d always look up to you in _**_much_**_ more eagerness._

He climbed onto the boat’s solid border, going across to the wall of grey he spotted, water dripping from his tentacles onto the deck. He quickly slid up to the top of whatever building this is. It was wide and provided enough cover on the top… And as he’d like it, that gave him easy access to view the surrounding deck with enough hiding space. He was getting himself comfortable, pulling his limbs in away from the edge of the walls…

Then he heard steps.

He hoped.

He pulled himself closer, turning his skull around at the sound…

Then promptly widened his smile again. There… There, there…

** _You._ **

_it’s definitely time._

But he didn't move immediately… Feeling that if he came down now it would feel too early. You needed to stop moving first, at least. You unknowingly walked past him, his tentacles starting to tremble as he released them from their tense position of hiding… Already starting to reach out towards your direction.

He saw you peering down the edge of the boat, setting your hands down on it. Sans had watched with such intensity as you breathed quietly yet deeply, filling you with the night air. He was so transfixed that he didn’t realize he was already silently creeping up to you… He stopped himself. He didn’t _just_ want to rush you… He had been waiting for this moment, this chance. Slowly, tentacle by tentacle, he went to the side, to the narrow walkways between the edge of the boat and the block sitting in the middle, deliberately blocking your path.

You weren’t escaping him.

He smiled laxly as he waited, adoring you as you continued to stand there, unknowing of his presence. Looking at the waters like he'd expected you to. He waited a little more… Then you turned.

Your eyes went wide, a gasp escaping you as you stepped back from him, making his tentacles agitate, feeling the unbearable _need_ to hold you. His smile just kept getting wider and wider as he crawled down slowly and deliberately, setting his tentacles down on the deck, properly blocking your way back to the front with himself. He put a finger to his mouth.

_don’t scream._

_“we don’t want anyone on this boat hurt, do we?”_

You gulped, stepping back again- but stopped when your leg hit the boat’s edge. You froze.

_poor thing_. He smiled adoringly, _you don’t need to be so scared of me._

“stay still… i don’t want to hurt you.” He crawled forward, tentacles twitching in excitement.

When he got close enough to you, he let go of his control, as his tentacles quickly grabbed your ankles, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from you.

_cute…_

But he couldn’t have you making anymore noises. No one else needs to know about this. _He didn’t need to kill in front of you._

Silently, he leaned forward, raising a tentacle… Sliding it up behind your neck, pulling you closer to him as it came back to the front to cover your mouth…

You were petrified.

… He was in awe.

He wanted more.

As the ones on your ankles started to twist increasingly possessively up your legs, you looked like you were about to fall down… Another one had come up to your waist to seize it.

_oh…_

Sans was immediately addicted to how you felt.

He could feel you starting to sweat, as you continued to stare at him with terrified eyes.

…

He tugged you closer to him, the rest of his limbs finding a part of you to grab onto, reveling in the fact that finally, **finally**, finding your body to actually be able to do that. How long he had dreamt to have you wrapped in his tentacles.

You were so frozen you didn’t even react as he took over you. Two tentacles had grabbed at your wrists, tugging you closer to him and his tendrils. One had twisted up both your legs, keeping them together, another was circling your arms and waist tightly, the third still on your neck, sealing your mouth.

Sans was entranced at that moment. You felt so warm in his hold… And that skin… So smooth… He wanted to rub it and feel all over it. He pulled you closer to him as you kept making noises of surprise, another tentacle coming up to your forehead, you closing your eyes… He sighed shakily as he pushed it backwards against your hair, stroking it down, getting it wet and slightly slimy from his tentacle.

You couldn’t blame him. All of his tentacles have been twitching to hold on to every part of you since he met you.

“don’t be scared, _love._” He cooed as he cupped your face with one hand, you blinking your eyes open again in surprise.

“you won’t get hurt… i will never hurt you…” He continued on dreamily as he stared obsessively into your eyes, his tentacles waving about in a trance, wanting to hold you… _The only reason they weren’t all over you already was the fact that he needed them to stand._

“you see… you’re _mine._” He said adoringly, fixing your hair behind your ear as you blinked up at him with an emotion that he couldn’t see at the moment. “my mate… my precious, beautiful mate…”

He was lost in the moment, continuing to stroke your hair and feel your skin with his tentacles as they started to tighten around you in his possessive state.

He sighed, when he heard a noise coming from the front of the boat. He looked back with a vicious look on him, ready to rid himself of any troublesome humans should they appear.

But they didn’t.

Sans growled something incoherent as he looked back to you, body bending to his grasps as your legs couldn’t keep yourself up from how he was holding you. He pulled you close, both hands behind your back and head, pushing you to his ribcage.

“you're coming with me now, my pearl.”

You made a noise of confusion and panic as he crawled off the deck, coming over the edge, crawling down half the boat as he pressed yourself to him and his tentacles kept twisting around you, sockets lidded looking at you. At one point he squeezed you tighter, more of his tentacles grabbing at you, letting go of the boat-

Splashing into the chilling water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you things were gonna happen : )  
(I hope it didn't look rushed ajehjkahmekamhjk I'm really worried about that ;n;)  
*flops on the floor* I don't think next updates are gonna be this quick haha;; I wanted this out before any obstacles hit me in the head, and the fact that last chap was a prologue.  
Comment if you'd like ;w; I hope this was ok... ;;;ww;;;  
[tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com) , if you'd like.


	3. Ensnared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans explains his terms to you and makes adjustments for your... Stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate summary is the chapter where Sans gets his creep on!... (Oh no)  
Heheh, last chapter a lot of you were worried that you were gonna drown and, well... This chapter explains how Sans... 'solves' that little predicament.  
... I am way excited for writing this, it's still fresh in my brain. And now that theres some summer holiday up, I hope I can get more chapters out!  
Also THANK YOU FOR READING! Auhu... I don't know how to express in here how happy I am that people read my stuff ;w;  
I hope you enjoy... Sans being a creepy octo...

_It was cold._

The moment you saw him, you couldn’t move. You’d take a step back but… Being on the edge of the boat didn’t leave you much room behind you. And after you hit that edge…

_You froze._

You were only breathing as the cold tentacles of the skeleton-octopus grabbed at you, staring with stunned eyes. Your mind just couldn’t process what was happening. It’s not as if you’ve never seen a monster but… He just appeared out of nowhere, and those lights… The lights that made up his eyes were staring at you like no one’s ever looked at you before. You were scared, you were paralyzed, all you felt were those cold, cold appendages wrapping around your body.

He spoke to you, and you did hear everything that he said with alarmingly sharp focus, every other noise becoming muted but… You couldn't seem to even understand what was being said to you, your brain being in shock. You already couldn’t move before- now that his tentacles had grabbed hold of your legs, arms, and head, even if you tried you wouldn’t be able to get out of his grasps. You wanted to make a sound, wanted to move, but you can’t. You couldn't even open your lips, he had a tentacle firmly over your mouth, and his limbs were constricting you. He had twisted around you so tightly that you couldn’t keep standing up as you couldn’t help but bend your body to the tentacle's whim, with little to no fight coming from you, you were that stunned.

You were still unable to understand anything when he started to stroke you with a tentacle over your head, closing your eyes from the cool and slick touch. He cupped your face afterwards- surprisingly, his skeletal hand was warmer than his tentacles.

When the both of you heard a sound coming from the front of the boat, you felt his tentacles tighten around you harshly, pressing into your neck, middle, and legs, squeezing you in the slightest- shit they were strong! The monster growled before looking back to you.

“you’re coming with me now, my pearl.”

As he started to move from his position and pulled you close to his ribcage, your mind started to catch up with what was happening, feeling a little bit more than panicked and confused. He pressed you to him as he crawled over the edge of the boat, and with what little free movement you could do at the moment, you stiffened your hands as he climbed down the boat, realizing what was going to happen- He started to grip onto you tighter as more of his tentacles grabbed hold of you-

And you splashed into the water.

…

_It was **cold**._

Somehow your body hadn’t immediately went into shock when you hit the water, but fuck it was cold as hell. In the splash you found the grip the monster had on you loosen and you quickly kicked your way up to the water’s surface, splashing around in a panic, gulping a few gasps of air-

The air you breathed turned into gulps of water, as the tentacles had come to reclaim you, two taking hold of both your forearms up to your wrists, one coming back to circle your waist, and another coiling around your ankle. You jerked around in his hold as water kept going down your throat, making you gag and start seeing black, as you watched the quivering image of the moon on the surface recede from you.

You were going to drown.

You made a scream that only sounded as high pitched gurgles as more of your breath escaped you, still flailing in the slippery bonds that kept increasing their hold on you. After awhile, you felt something hard and bony clamp around your mouth and your chest. Your kicks were starting to weaken and your vision started to fade as something you didn’t recognize enter your throat- It wasn’t water. You couldn’t pay attention or guess what it was, but the hand on your mouth was making small movements, kneading your mouth a little as a weird sensation continued down your throat.

After awhile you closed your eyes completely, feeling the sting in your eyes fade a little, and the salty, fishy taste on your tongue changed. Your body went limp and you feel your consciousness fade to black as the last thing you felt was more of those black tentacles grabbing hold of your tiny body.

…

…

…

You heard the sound of the water burbling around you. Your hair floating around your head.

White-blue light descending onto the sands you were on.

You were so tired…

…

“human.”

“my name’s sans, skeleton cecaelia.”

“what’s yours?”

…

“… (Y/n).”

* * *

Sans watched your face with a sense of serenity as he kept his magic flowing into your throat, now that he was at the seafloor the rest of his tentacles could grab hold onto you, smothering you.

_(y/n)… (y/n), (y/n), (y/n)… _He finally knew your name. This was already going well for him… A year he’s been obsessing over you, and he couldn’t know your name. The fact that he didn’t know your name drove him insanely angry, he needed to know the name of his mate.

And now he knows.

He’s not sure if you were conscious when you said it, your eyes had fluttered shut and your limbs had stopped moving… Something that would’ve panicked anyone else, but instead gave Sans joy, as your little jerks against his tentacles made them aggressive, having the need to keep you still against him. When he splashed into the water, the impact had made his tentacles unwittingly release his hold on you, though he wasn’t too bothered by that. He saw you were just trying to get air. In the process of his tentacles reclaiming you and pulling you back downwards and towards him, your back was now to him, and he tugged you down a tentacle at a time.

While he had been planning to take you for himself, to claim you and keep you in his territory, he had been wondering on just _how_ he would keep you. When he had started stalking you from the shallows and his encounters with the useless humans increased, drowning was one of the easiest way to get rid of them. He didn’t need to use too much strength or any magic at all, all he needed to was just at the very least keep their head in the water for a few minutes. Pull them into the water, letting his tentacles do the work. They were just so weak.

But that included you. You were a human, and just like them, you couldn’t breathe underwater. You had weaknesses too, which is why he wanted to confine you to someplace he could keep his eyesockets on you, keep you safe. But then was the problem of you breathing air instead of water…

… But that was something he'd thought about a long time ago.

He fixed his grip on you, pulling you up against him, back on his ribcage, the most of his tentacles enveloping your body possessively. He crawled backwards towards his cave as he started to be unable to hold himself back, a tentacle on your neck starting to rub it absent-mindedly. Just… So smooth and warm. But he could also feel your warmth starting to escape you- he needed to get this done quickly.

He swam the rest of the way when he got closer to his cave, landing back on the seafloor as he crawled back into it. It wasn’t a particularly large cavern, just a big rock with an opening in it really. After the entrance it goes down just a tad bit, the sandy floor turning into a bed of smooth, albeit slightly bumpy rock.

When he rested his spine at the back of the cave wall, bringing you to slump with him, the tentacles that had been aiding in his movement quickly went to grab hold of you, now all 8 of them enthusiastically curling around you, one coming to the middle of your torso going over his hand.

His other hand was still over your mouth, still keeping a supply of magic down your throat. This was one way to cut your reliability on breathing air, giving you tolerance to the water, helping you take the oxygen-dense, clean water that was provided by his magic. But while at the moment he wasn’t using a whole lot of magic to keep you from asphyxiating, with enough time it would be magically draining. He needed to change that.

Though, right now, Sans just wanted to rest his back on the wall with his mate securely on his chest, embraced by his hands and tentacles. He’ll get to dealing with the _long-term _solution in just… Just a little bit of time…

He sighed heavily, contentedly, as he slid down further against the rock wall behind him, hugging you _just_ a little closer to him. He closed his sockets. This was all he dreamt of. Having you with him, in his hold, feeling your warmth heat his bones, feeling the softness of your skin… Sleeping peacefully on his ribs, feeling your chest continue to rise and fall gently through the hand that was resting on top of you.

… After awhile of just resting and rubbing your skin gently with the limbs that were around your legs, hands and neck, he slowly opened his sockets again. If he actually slept through the night with you, you were going to freeze in the chilly waters of the night. He lazily (and reluctantly) pulled some of his tentacles away from you, gently flipping you around so you were facing him with that serene, unconscious face of yours, your eyelids fluttering gently in the water. His eyelights dilated looking at your face, _so pretty… my human, my mate…_

An arm held you by the back to keep you up, a tentacle bracing the back of your head so it wouldn’t limp backwards dangerously. Two was at your waist and legs to do the same thing, keeping you up.

… After this, you would be _just_ that little bit more tied to him.

He took the hand off your mouth cautiously, green magic still coming out of the tips of his phalanges. Just a little while more. He gently lessened the stream of magic when he placed his hand on your chest, feeling the beating of your heart against it. He made a small sound of astonishment when he did, feeling the red organ pulse life throughout you. After a few seconds he shook his skull. He need the _other_ part of you that contained your life.

After feeling around with his blue magic a little bit, and finding the familiar hum of what he was looking for, he balled his hand into a fist…

Then tugged backwards, summoning a glowing, heart shaped form out of your chest. His sockets widened and his eyelights dilated at the sight, at the precious, delicate, fragile little pulsing thing.

_Your soul._

Sans reached a hand forward, cupping it gingerly between his phalanges, feeling it’s gentle little flutters against it. A charming little thing… It sat between his thumb and his ring finger, while his other phalanges sat behind it.

It was… It was amazing. _beautiful, beautiful._ Vibrant, glowing it’s color everywhere, lighting up his dark cave with it’s gentle light. He gently rubbed the rim of your soul, sliding his thumb up and down. As he did so, he felt the little thing pulse, the human magic mingling with his own in the tiniest bit. He made a shuddery breath, feeling his own soul thump harder against his ribcage, wanting to come out… Wanting to bond with your soul.

He sat there transfixed, cupping your soul close to his face to take in it’s wonderfulness, it’s little flutters and pulses seeming to be calling for his soul. He kept stroking it, and smiled wider when he felt you shift ever so slightly in his hold, reacting to the gentle touches.

When his tentacles twitched, he snapped out of his entrancement. He had to keep focus. He needed to adjust you so that you could live with him first.

He let go of your soul, letting it float gently back to your chest. He raised a tentacle to it, slowly and gently coiling around your soul, keeping it back from entering your chest, making sure not to suction onto it. Though after completely engulfing it with his tentacle, his tendril had subconsciously started to tighten and squeeze around it possessively, a small stir coming from you in his hold. Sans immediately relaxed his hold, shaking his head. _gotta be careful with the precious little thing…_ He thought as he gently uncoiled around it just a little bit, but keeping it firm in his hold, _can have fun with her later, when she’s used to me. and awake._

He suppressed the urge to claim your soul. Delicate little things they were, you can never be too careful around them. He brought both his hands up in front of it, as another tentacle went to your back in place of his hand.

Both hands started to glow, first separate as green and blue, then starting to mix together into a teal color. They floated gently to your soul, enveloping in his colors, mixing with the glow. When it did, he pulled back his tentacle carefully, relieved that it didn’t have any traces of suction. He pushed a little harder, pressuring his magic onto your soul, pushing it in. Your soul accepted it without any fight, and you didn’t even move from your unconscious state. After he saw the afterglow of his magic coming out from the center of the heart shaped form, he drew a relieved breath, and carefully pushed your soul back into your chest. Having it out too long can be dangerous… Having it for just a little while had already called to his instincts. If he had it out longer he wouldn’t know if he was able to hold himself back from it. He can’t have that… He needs you to be awake, to know, _to love him_, before he could do something that important.

He watched you for a little while, as your breathing had stopped from the weak little stream of magic that he had been giving you all the while, stopping as soon as he focused on your soul. If you didn’t start breathing on your own accord in a few moments, he’d have to give you more of his magic and find another place to-

His eyelights returned (he didn’t even realize they’d left) when he saw your chest move again, and you drawing in water into you by yourself, without gagging or choking on it. He sighed gratefully- it worked! He could really keep you down here, with him, forever.

He had been stressing out about that for the longest time, how to keep you down here. Sure, he’d thought of other places to keep you but… Putting you in his cave seemed to be the best place to have you in. And if he could put you in here, that would mean making you breathe water.

It took him searching around while you weren’t at the shore, trying to find out what could make you do just that. When he found out from an ancient source, how monsters even ‘breathed’ and how there were land and water monsters, that could move around both terrains… That he could do it with magic. And thankfully for him, he had a lot of that. All he needed to find out is what to do with his magic, and after that, it all came from him.

If it was on a monster it would’ve been easier, but… Could he do it with humans? Monsters were made of magic and dust, and humans… Weren’t.

… But. That isn’t entirely true. Humans do have a little bit of magic in them… Their soul. It’s practically a fountain of magic that monsters could tap into, and humans couldn’t. But it was still there. All he did, was put his little spell of breathing in you, embedding it into your soul, so that you yourself could do it, and he didn’t have to keep feeding you.

Sans just realized he felt sore when he let go of you to rest you gently on the floor of his cave so he could stretch, his tentacles feeling stiff and his bones aching from the tensity that had come over him when he was putting his magic in you. He was afraid something would go wrong. He’d never forgive himself.

After getting back his composure with a few relaxing breaths, he put a hand over his chest, above his soul. Feeling it pulsing, still a bit excited from the view of your soul he got. As he started to hold you again in his tentacles, picking you up, he rubbed his sternum. _stay calm._ He told himself, _i have to be patient, i have to wait for her to see me as i see her._ And Sans was a _very_ patient monster. He had all the patience he needed to wait for you to come to him.

He covered you with his tentacles again, pulling you close to him as he got all his limbs preoccupied with you. When he had pulled you close enough, he grabbed hold of your torso, putting your little cute form back on his ribcage, tucking your head into his neck, putting his chin on top of your head as a warm feeling came over him. Tentacles already starting to stroke you all over again, feeling his gentle little human. It just feels so good to have you wrapped by him, makes him sure that you’re safe. He held you closer to feel your warmth emanating, bracing your back as he rubbed his head on you.

That was the other magic he put in you. It made your soul’s hum more pronounced and generated heat to help your body, to keep it as warm as it would be if you were out of the water.

_You’re so warm… So snug in his hold. Smooth, soft skin felt on his tentacles… His hand rubbing circles into your back, and you even made a small contented hum as he rubbed you gently._

_mmm… _Sans hummed, _i can have her pressed up to me forever…_ He thought as his tentacles tightened around you so he could get closer on his chest. His other hand had cupped the back of your head as he sank back down, resting on the part of the cave where he had a little ‘bed’- a bed of seaweed to rest his bones on.

He lied on his side, petting you a little as he felt sleepiness tugging at his sockets.

“mm…” He mumbled, as he absent-mindedly put a tentacle around your face, stroking it a little… Before it stopped with an abrupt tug. His sockets stopped drooping in the moment, as his eyelights went down to you, pulling your head away from his neck so he could see your face. His tentacle was on your cheek, suctioned on to it. He chuckled quietly as he peeled it away, feeling the small pops as he pulled it off your face- then eyelights going to where his tentacle had been sitting on.

There were marks on your cheek now… Actually, when he looked on your hands and neck as well, there were marks all over your skin, light red little circles… They didn’t seem painful, you didn’t react to his limbs when they had unconsciously sucked onto your skin in their excitement.

… He smiled wide at the view. _He liked it._ It meant that you had been held by him… A sign that you were _his._ Like a traditional monster mark but… Temporary, and he could always leave them everywhere on your skin, anytime he wanted. He put the tentacle back on your face, looping around your neck a little as he purposefully stuck it back onto you, from the lower part of his tentacle to the tip… Slowly, savoring the touch… Then he pulled it back off again, hovering, as he eyed the new marks on your skin with delight. _It’s like… It’s like he’s kissing you all over with his suction cups._ The rest of his tentacles followed suit after, coming off and sucking on back after, enjoying the little pops it made on your skin, eyeing the marks that was covering your exposed skin.

After the feeling the sensation of you against his tentacles for a little while, he relaxed and stuck them back onto you laxly, letting his mind off his control on his tentacles, letting them bind and wrap you with abandon. He put the tentacle on your face back onto your neck, pulling your head back to tuck under his chin, hugging you close.

He’s never felt so peaceful before. His mate was with him, and he’s going to have her, to cherish her… Forever.

* * *

…

…

You heard the flow of water.

Little bubbles prodded your ears.

… You felt… Warm… and secure. You hadn’t felt so safe before… So, so… So relaxed, feeling like melting into the nice sensation that was enveloping you. So comfortable… You snuggled your head into what you were sleeping on, it just felt so safe…

You kept breathing slowly and contentedly, just enjoying the sensations that seemed to surround you, that felt protective, like nothing is going to hurt you.

“heheh..”

Your eyes blinked open in surprise, hearing a small chuckle that was coming from… _Directly in front of you._

You were pressed onto a rib cage, your hands folded beside you, holding onto the ribs gently, not gripping. Your eyes went wider as you saw all around you, light flitting down ahead of you, in front of the mouth of a cave… Is_\- _is that_ a floating _**_seaweed_**_ over there?!_

You pulled your head back in shock before you were quickly pulled back to the rib cage by something on your head that wasn’t… Solid. You let go of the ribs, a small grunt of complaint coming from the one who you were on. Your eyes darted to your side- widening as you saw black tentacles wrapped all around you, wounding around you everywhere in different ways, not just coiling around in one way. They were on your waist, legs, neck- and they were shifting around you slightly.

You blinked again when you finally realized that… You were underwater?! You can see the way the sun came down wasn’t in straight, steady streams… They were shifting and moving, dimming and brightening ever so often. And the _seaweed floating over there? They definitely don’t grow on land._ And and… You were gulping water down your-

… Wait… You aren’t drowning.

_What..?_

“Mmh...” You mumbled confusedly, your mind spinning.

“good morning, little sea angel.”

Your eyes flitted up to the one holding you… The skeleton-octopus hybrid that… That… Took you… Last night…

Your mind was filled back with the memories of last night, striking you with a small sense of panic that quickly dissolved into confusion. You were drowning… And then now, you aren’t. Drowning. Now… You were being held by the one that took you last night.

The monster picked you back up, still enveloped by his tentacles so he could see you better, a calm smile on his face.

“how’d you sleep?”

“Uh…” You stared at him dumbfounded- “Wait what?”

You looked down on yourself as he started to laugh quietly, appalled- _what the hell_ you were breathing and talking _underwater?_

“don’t think about it too hard, kiddo.” He said, pulling you closer, upwards on him, “you never have to worry about anything anymore.” He rubbed circles on your back, another hand on your head, tucking you to the side of his skull, sighing as he put it on your head.

“W-wait but…” You tried to pull away, but the tentacles surrounding you had tightened in slight aggression, a small growl coming from the skeleton.

“you gotta stay.” He said as he slid the hand on your back further, reaching your other side and holding you, “stay with me.”

“But- but… How… What… Why do you want me here?” You asked cautiously, as you felt like he _didn’t_ take you from the boat to eat you but… He could. Couldn’t he? You had to be careful.

“thought i told you already last night my pearl.” He muttered as he somehow kept drawing you close to him, “you’re my mate, (y/n).”

Your eyes widened at the sound of your name as the tentacles around you twisted further, the monster’s sockets fluttering close. He sounded contented holding you like this… you could feel the suckers that were on you.

“H… How did you know my name?” You asked, looking away form his skull, as your face was pressed up to it.

“you told me last night, angel.” His voice rumbled through your chest, sounding quite deep, “you don’t remember?”

“… No,” You couldn’t… When did you..?

“what ‘bout my name? you remember your mate’s name?”

Mate… Mate’s name..?

“aw, shame. i remembered yours immediately, sea kelp.”

“Wait wait-“ You kept thinking about what he just said-

“it’s ok, no need to stress your little head over it,” He took your face in his hand, turning it back to look at him, meeting his white eyelights again. “it’s sans. sans the skeleton-octopus. a cecaelia.”

The name was immediately burned into your mind, _Sans._ You had to ask him…

“Wait wait Sans-“

“ooooh.” You saw his grin widen and his sockets crinkling, eyelights looking up, “it sounds so nice when you say it…” His tentacles curled around you even more, him sighing a satisfied sound.

“Um…” You shied in his hold, wanting to look away but he was holding your head firm, “What do you mean… I’m your… Mate?”

His sockets opened again as his gaze met yours again. He didn’t say anything for awhile, instead just peering into your eyes like you’ve never felt anyone else did before. They stared into yours like… Like they were looking at a prized possession, like some incredible treasure that they wanted to keep for themselves, looking at you greedily. They felt intense. You wanted to look away but… They seemed to be holding your gaze without any effort.

“… yeah.” his sockets lidded as he pulled your face close- _really close_, he put his forehead on yours, you now unable to escape those hypnotic white lights in the pools of black, “you’re my mate, sea angel. just me. _mine_.”

That… Sent a shiver up you, the way he said it, and the fact that you felt his tentacles twisting more on your body, feeling them squeeze you in the slightest.

“i’ve known you for more than awhile now, (y/n), and i want you with me…” He started to drawl as his hold on you kept tightening, eyelights shining brighter into your own eyes. He looked so…

“Y-you’re not gonna eat me?” You squeaked, his gaze just looked so hungry and filled with desire all of a sudden, his wide grin looking unnerving. At that though, those intense white lights dimmed down, and he pulled back, breaking into rapturous laughter. “hahaheheheh! oh don’t you worry my little sea kelp, i’m not eating you,” He chuckled out, eyesockets crinkling again, lights glowing amusedly. “though…” He looked back to you, “you do look good enough to.”

His voice was laced with a certain undertone that made your cheeks flush as his eyelights turned back to that of desire. He smirked.

“that’s really cute.” He purred, petting your head with his bony hand, making you flush further.

“Wait, but you haven’t explained to me…” You started as you tried your best to pull back the heat on your face, “How am I… How am I here? Like this? How am I-“

“alive?” He raised a brow(bone?). “tell you what, pearly,” He said as he pulled you back onto his shoulder, “i’m a monster, and magic is very real, very possible for us.”

He told you of the fact that he had put his magic into you, and by something he said would take too long to explain the process of, the little parcel of magic in you is keeping you warm and functioning, while also condensing the oxygen in the water, helping you breathe and tolerate the ocean entering you. He said…

“they’re gonna be yours for now. it’s gonna stay there and be powered by your soul.”

“Uh… Soul?” You piped up, having hearing his explanation with slight concern.

“yeah.”

“…” Souls? You’ve never really thought of them as being able to be physical, you thought it was intangible.

… The skeleton-octopus snorted. “can show you, if you want.”

Before you could answer him, his hand was already flat on your chest, as you felt it start to tighten and feel some kind of pressure, wriggling in his hold from the uncomfortableness- then he pulled away, and you saw a floating heart, glowing in front of you. Your mouth parted.

“That’s… That’s my-?”

“your soul, angel.” He cooed, watching the little thing as intently as you were… Then seeing his eyelights flash something- _hearts?_. “… so stunning.” You agreed. You couldn’t take your eyes away from it, you’ve never seen something quite like it before and yet… It felt so familiar. Important, vital. How could something so amazing… Be in you all along?

“mmm.” Sans hummed, cupping it in one of his hands, and you felt him when his phalanges made contact with your soul. You felt his touch yet… It was from far away from your body. He rubbed it very gently, and you felt it coursing through you, like, like… _How do you even describe it?_ It wasn’t even uncomfortable it just felt… New, pleasant even.

“my mate _would_ have the most wonderful soul out there.” Sans praised as he continued to stare at your soul in wonderment. Then, you noticed a little glow of teal at its core, fading in and out of your vision. Sans pointed at it.

“you see that?” You nodded. “that’s the magic that’s keeping you alive down here.”

He put it back in your chest, and it felt like a missing puzzle piece fit back into you. It felt nice to have it back, and Sans had you close to him again, putting his chin on top of your head. But…

“… How long am I staying here?”

…

His tentacles twitched before twisting further around you, starting to make you feel constricted as they started squeezing, and Sans’ arms circled your chest, also squeezing you to him.

“… you're not leaving.”

Your eyes blew wide as he kept tightening around you.

“i told you.” He said in a much lower voice than he had been using before. “you’re _my mate._ i _need_ you with me. you’re not going back. never. _you’re staying with me. _i’m never letting you leave, not ever.”

“But- my home-“

“**this is your home now.**” He said eerily calmly as a hand went up, under your arm, taking hold of your head again. Stroking it softly, gently. You felt like cowering in his hold, as your initial fear of him crept up you again.

“… don’t be scared, love.” He relaxed his tense grip on you just a tad, still keeping you bound to him. “you don’t need the land back anyways. i’ll take good care of you. you’ll be happy. with me.”

You stayed still, unable to answer him for awhile.

“… you’re ok. you’re safe. with me.” He cooed, continuing to stroke your head, and you had to admit they were quite soothing… “stay calm, sea kelp.”

You were silently processing his words while your eyes looked down to the appendages that were bounding you to him all this time. They were smothered all over you, wrapping around every part of your body they could find, the ones on your limbs rubbing them up and down in their coils… And you felt a chill go up your spine when you saw the marks that had been imprinted onto you- they were all over the skin you could see, red-rimmed circles covering it.

“… C-can you let me go f-first?” You squeaked, feeling the tentacles wound around you again, “P… Please?”

The skeleton-octopus stayed still for a moment, and you felt his tentacles continue rub up and down your limbs slightly. You looked at his his shoulder, unwilling to struggle against him, his hold on you was pretty tight already… They would definitely choke your movements if you tried to free yourself.

Though after sometime of tense silence on your part, the suction that had been increasing on your skin let go, leaving behind more marks in their wake, as they slithered off you, back to the skeleton that owned them. You had to blink for a second before your body had took control over your mind, clouding your better judgement- and started kicking the water, heading towards the surface, as you broke out into a swim, getting out of the cave. Heading to the surface, you kept kicking-

Being pulled back down by a tentacle that was now on your ankle, hitting the sand. You kicked again and was surprised to find that it had unwound from your ankle, letting you move up again- but this time, another tentacle had grabbed ahold of your waist, tugging down. This kept happening a couple of times- every time Sans’ tentacle would find a part of your body- wrists, torso, legs, arms- tugging and pulling you back down without effort.

He was just playing with you.

After a couple of times of you trying to swim up to the surface, as one tentacle around your leg had pulled you down again, it stayed there, pinning you to the sand. More tentacles had come to claim one of your arms, coiling around your neck, and you were pulled back to the skeleton-octopus’ side. He was chuckling teasingly.

“that’s really cute, kiddo. the way you think you can leave me, that you can _escape _me.” He said in a calm voice that only managed to send more shivers over you. He tangled more of his tentacles on you as he pulled you back into the dark of the cave, back onto the small bed of seaweed. “i told you. you’re not leaving me. _you’re never leaving me, (y/n)._”

He said your name possessively… Being trapped by his tentacles as he set you down on the bed of green, feeling like cushiony-grass. He put his hands on your shoulders, pushing you down onto it. He moved away from you, letting go of you all together, and you wanted to try to swim away again but… You couldn’t move. Something heavy had centered around your chest, around the part where you saw your _soul_ go into… And your limbs were stiff hard, you couldn’t move them past making small twitches.

“i’m going to get us some food, little kelp.” He called as he got further from you, crawling backwards so that he was still facing you. “now… be a good mate and stay here for me, won’t you?”

As soon as he finished his sentence, you saw his hand, from an open position, clasp shut. And when it did, streaks of black shot up all around you, making you cry in alarm, crisscrossing above you shut. You had put your head in your hands, as you felt the weight on your chest dissipate… When you looked up, you realized the cage that had now trapped you were made of black, glossy bones.

“i’ll be back soon, my mate.” Sans sung happily, tilting his head at you as he finally exited the cave. You sat there in shock, processing what was happening, holding the thick bones in your hands.

… These aren’t gonna move.

You sat there silently as Sans crawled on the sand happily, ecstatically enjoying the fact that he had claimed his mate…

Neither of you noticed the red-tailed figure in the water, watching from the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans, Sans- what're you doing-  
... Oh yes Sans, put a bone cage on the reader, that'll make them less scared. That'd surely warm them up to you, Sans! That's just great!  
And, would you look at the one hiding in the shadows. I wonder who that could be..? :DD (I'm excited, forgive me ;w;)  
Also your comments made me laugh on the last chapter, Sans, don't drown the reader;  
[tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com), if you'd like.


	4. Outside Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone's been watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE TAGS ::)))  
(Claps for those who got it, it was fun to see everyone's guesses! ^w^)  
Sorry for the shorter chapter- This is what I planned from the start kind of. I wasn't sure how to divide the chapter for this specific part of the story... Just wasn't sure if they should be seperate, together, or what. But I felt like this was better as its own chapter, because it might get longer if I put in the other. Plus- after the quick-succession update at the beginning, I felt like it was time to post a new one ^u^;  
Uhauheaghghjghj I'm not sure if this is good or not... ;u;  
(By the way, UT!Sans goes by Black in this chapter. Not to be confused with SF!Sans)  
(Sep 20) My focus is all over the place in the moment so it'll take a hot minute for TDtLU to update- but Im thinking to continue it so dont get too worried now ;w;

_“w…. what the hell?”_

<strike> Sans </strike> Red continued to watch with wide sockets and shrunk red eyelights, vibrating in the slightest in the dips of black on his face at the scene before him.

“w… what the fuck?”

Black… Was holding a _human_. but he’s not just holding the poor thing, no- He was _fondling_ the human, all of his black tentacles outstretched, holding her in an odd way to maximize how much of her he could touch. He looked at her like... She was the only thing he could see, his eyelights wide and completely _fixed_ onto her.

To say that it disturbed Red was an understatement.

She didn’t seem like she was dying or that she hated the skeleton holding her but… She didn’t seem _entirely comfortable._ Her brows were knitted as she looked at the writhing mass of tentacles that continued to stroke and hold her. Red couldn’t see any other expression other than that- Black had a tentacle coiled around her neck up to her mouth, covering it. He couldn’t hear any muffled sounds coming from the woman… And every other part of her was almost completely covered by Black's limbs for her to move that much. But at the very least, he could see that she seemed... _concerned_. Much like himself.

_“when the fuck did THAT happen?”_

Red wasn’t especially close to the octopus-skeleton- Not anymore, at least. He always gave him these… Chills up his exposed spine, there was just something about him that always seemed off. Something just didn't sit right with him. Whenever Black met with him nowadays- no- it’s been a long time now- his smile had never wavered. Not that Red wasn’t a smiley trashbag either but- his grin was always too wide, too tight. Too tense for his liking. And those eyelights… They always seemed to have something behind them. SSending some kind of silent threat to anyone around him. He knew octopuses weren’t social creatures, hell, they were solitary creatures. But… Black… He was hostile to everyone. He wasn’t even openly hostile most of the time- one cold stare from him was enough for other monsters to scramble away from him, afraid to look back.

Red was a different case- but that didn’t mean he wasn’t unnerved by him.

He was one of the only monsters who dared to go through his territory from time to time- They’ve known each other for quite some time, Black knows him enough to know he isn’t an immediate threat- and the fact that Red could take him up on a fight when it came to it. It doesn’t really happen- Black is usually too lazy to be picking fights with him every time they meet, and Red wasn’t too eager to drain his magic trying to fend him off. And even then… Red wasn’t too eager to be going through Black’s territory- it put him on edge too much. Usually Black wouldn’t pay him much mind but… He’d always be looking at him with this… Look on his face.

But he didn’t come through here that often anyways. There was little reason to. He wasn’t interested on what was happening on land. But he sometimes kept an eyesocket out for Black… Just… Just in case. 

... <strike>Black scares him.</strike>

And now- look what he found. Black has all his tentacles wrapped around a human who didn't seem all too comfortable to being held by the skeleton cecaelia.

Red shivered as he watched him look at her with these… Obsessive eyesockets, eyelights shining brighter than he’s seen before- the only other time he did that was when he was threatening someone else. But this... this was something _different_. His eyelights looked almost deranged, how intensely he looked at her.

Like she’s the only one there or something.

Black wasn’t touching any of the sensitive parts of her body but… His limbs were everywhere, wrapped around her legs, her waist, her hands, her _head_\- the one on her head was slowly, delicately stroking her hair down. Red had to hold his arm when he saw him hold her face by the chin, gently making her face him- Black rubbing his forehead on her. She closed her eyes, unable to react in any other way from (what Red could see) his tentacles twisting around her limbs tightly- and the one tentacle sitting firmly over her mouth. Black on the other hand kept his sockets wide, still staring at her obsessively.

“what is he doing..?”

He had never seen Black have such an… Adoring look on his face. His smile was wide and unsettling… Full with desire while he looked at her, like she was everything to him. Black had pulled back from her face, letting her have _some _kind of personal space, letting her breathe a bit. Red watched as his tentacles kept twisting around her and he held her chin to keep her eyes on him, cupping her face with both his hands afterwards.

Red felt stupid. Why does he seem so attached to her? Has Red seen her before? Were there signs that Black was chasing someone down? It was obvious that Black seemed to want _her_… But… If he was correct, did he want you as a _mate?_ When had **_Black_** ever wanted a _**mate?**_ Was he really that unreceptive not to notice?

When Red first found the human in Black’s tendrils… He didn’t immediately think about _Black_. He was just-

_what the fuck is that a human in the water_

_is he gonna eat her_

_how is she not drowning_

_how is she not dying-_

<strike> _is she ok?!_ </strike>

When he glanced at Black, he felt something different from him. He had never felt such an aura coming off of him. When he saw Black look at the human that he was holding in his tentacles, he looked at her with such… Endlessly staring eyelights, like he was looking into her _soul_, with this… Endless _want_ coming off of him. He didn’t see Black as an especially gentle monster- He was aggressive to no end when he was with anyone nowadays. But with her… It's like it wasn't him. He looked like he was drunk off of her or something, like he was addicted to how her skin felt, when Red saw him stroke her over and over again with his tentacles and his hands. Her hair, her arms, her legs, her middle, _neck, hair-_ Like he couldn’t get enough of it. And it was always slow and deliberate… It made Red all the more uneasy. And when he looked at you- It looked like you didn’t even know how to feel about it.

… _what’s going on?_

_why are his eyelights like that?_

They were wide and bright, staring endlessly at the human. On the other hand, she looked at him with worry and confusion.

Another thing… Black seemed to really like touching your mouth. It’s not like he wants to keep you silent- from the way he kept rubbing over it he seemed, like how he was touching every other part of you, just enjoying how it felt.

Red, just like the human- couldn’t help but stare confusedly at the monster in front of him. It’s like Black had wanted you for so long- he doesn’t look like he wants to let go of you, _ever._

Red was probably one of the only monsters to actually go into Black’s territory for the cecaelia himself. And while even then he went here rarely, he should’ve caught _something_ right?

…

Actually… there were things that Red noticed.

A specific occurrence happened- about a year ago. 

He remembered it was during one of his visits. He hadn't even intended to visit Black's territory then. Him and Papyrus were hunting for the day, going in opposite directions- and Red hadn't found any luck. He had just so happened to be near Black's territory, carefully circling around it- when he saw a speedboat go right over his territory.

_humans..?_

_when the fuck do humans ever go through here?_

Did they **_have_** to go over **_Black's_** territory?!

That couldn't be good news for anyone.

He just stared at it in disbelief as his red eyelights tracked how annoyingly it zipped back and forth specifically over _Black's_ territory, as if on purpose. Even Red got extremely irritated. And knowing Black and his special hatred for those _things_... He couldn't imagine how much hate was building up in his ex-pal.

_were these stupid humans trying to piss him off 'r somethin’?!_

Now, Red was like the rest of the monsters in how he viewed humans. Annoyances that were fun to toy with now and then, lord knows they deserved it. But hate was a bit too strong of a word, so it’s more off an _aversion_ towards the land dwellers. They could be careless, loud, and messy. Not to say that every one of them were like that. Red was more of the neutral side when compared to other monsters, preferring to ignore them but... He wishesthey would just fuck off sometimes.

So, disliking humans were very normal.

But Black, on the other hand…

He had a special kind of hate towards them. His hate was bitter and he wasn’t just annoyed by them, he _despised_ them. But that didn’t mean he showed it every time they were around either. He had this patience to him. He ran cold when it came to them, preferring to give them icy glares rather than come onto them, jumping them. The only time he’d attack them was when he was provoked.

Which turns out, to be the case.

He couldn't help but drift closer to the boat when it had gotten still, right above Black. He couldn't lie, he was curious about the metal thing. Sure humans were annoying and he’d rather have nothing to do with the land creatures but… They made pretty neat stuff that he’d find sinking down onto the sea bed. Black had looked up to it too, and Red made sure to stay as far as possible, in fear that Black would spot him. He _knows_ he wasn’t in the mood to meeting him when whoever was up there had disturbed him.

Then he saw this metal thing come into the water... '_the hell is that?_

_r’those scientists up there-_

Red's thoughts completely cut off as he became slack-jawed.

** _“DDDAAGGHH-“_ **

His sockets went wide as he saw Black get shocked by whatever the metal thing was- Red could even feel the small little tingles from this distance. _o-oh shit!_

** _what the fuck did those humans want?_ **

It was obvious they were gunning for Black. Red hesitated for a moment if he needed to get there to help him out- hesitating from the knowledge that Black wasn’t one to mess with, and if Black let him help, at a closer distance, that weapon was still discharging electricity everywhere like that.

Just when he was about to approach, Black had already solved the problem- summoning a black bone to quickly cut off the wire.

That settled it. He can’t come over now- Black would probably try to dust him if he did.

He saw the wavering image of two figures on top of the boat from this distance, of blurry red and white. What they had in the water was a _cable_, and they’d just pulled it out. He looked back to Black- and froze.

There it was. Those lights. Red’s eyelights had an almost exact disposition aside from the colors- but they were somehow still vastly different. The absolutely cold-blooded glare that he saw Black shot up at the boat sent shivers down his spine. He watched warily as Black grabbed the metal rod and shot upwards, landing on the boat. The rocks that followed sent waves through the water, and Red felt just the slightest bit of it.

_those poor humans._ Red thought as he floated closer to the ride, _they ain’t comin’ out of there alive._

Red hovered cautiously around the boat, keeping an eye on it at a safe distance, able to see a bit out of what was happening above, but mostly the rocks and shakes the boat made as he presumed was Black giving them a bad time.

That was another thing about Black and his hatred- he was cruel when he _did_ get the chance to get a human in his hands- or tentacles. On the few cases (up until then) that Red got to see when Black caught a human, there was this… Side to him that came into sight that showed nowhere else, other than when he has a human in his grasps. There was this sadistic glee Red caught a glimpse of when he killed humans. Not that he’d torture them or anything, nothing of the sort- It was just… He’d show every ounce of his hate for them to the whatever human he caught. The wide unwavering smile, matched with deep, black, empty sockets that watched the human as he drowned them, or skewered with black bones- He let it all out when he got the chance. And while hating humans wasn’t uncommon with monsters… Red couldn’t help but feel a bit put off by him. Again, not to say that he liked humans at all but…

The boat went still. Red paused. It was bobbing gently on the waters above him. After awhile of waiting, he was sure Black had done the job and was probably eating them at this point. He didn’t bother wondering if it was Black that had dusted- the humans would have left quickly afterwards, not wanting another encounter- and the fact that their efforts would be useless if they killed him anyways. They couldn’t do anything with dust.

After a little more while of waiting, Red had backed away from the boat nearing to the rocks, careful of when Black had finished eating. _Shit, he got too close- what was wrong with him?_

Red’s soul stopped for a moment when he saw Black landing with a heavy, careless splash into the water, probably tired and irritated. He couldn’t move for a second- as the scent of blood hit his nasal cavity and he saw the blood stains that were wafting off his octopus counterpart.

He’d hastily hid behind a couple of big rocks, as he _felt_ Black’s skull snap to look at where he was, exposed- feeling a dangerous crackle of magic getting sent in his direction. Red’s own magic flared in his chest in a defensive response- which he quickly quelled before it burst into actual fighting magic. He couldn’t expose himself. His tail swished nervously as he waited until Black was done with his warning… Red peaked out. He had stopped giving him attention, it was obvious from the way his sockets drooped that he was tired and in no mood to have an aggressive encounter with anyone. Red took the opportunity to quickly swim away.

… After that, whenever he came to the cecaelia’s territory, he noticed that Black was out more often. Before the incident, being a monster with a similar level of laziness to how Red wanted to be like (he couldn’t- his inner biology wouldn’t allow it and Papyrus would be there to screech at him until he did something)- and the fact that he was half octopus didn’t exactly make him the most active of monsters out there. He enjoyed staying in that cave of his, not coming out for days if he felt like it and had enough food to leave him unbothered by hunger until food did call out to him. Red would get worried, but after the first few times he tried to urge him, (back when they had _just_ cut ties with each other), he’d stopped from all the aggression Black had put up front, on the fact that he **_didn’t_** want to see **_anyone_**.

He was out most of the time Red was when he so happen to stumble around Black’s territory, which caused him to meet _him_ more often. He had been going through that day, his favorite hunting waters were just beyond his- and the unsocial Black wasn’t enough to make him take the long route. It was a short while anyways. And Black had stopped being outwardly hostile by that point, only politely exchanging cold glares at each other like he does now.

But after _that_ encounter…

“heya red.”

_shit!_

“how’re you doing?”

Red spun around, tail flicking behind him- then under him as he looked at the skeleton-octopus that was behind him. When had he come this close?

“uh… black.” He floated downwards closer to the sea floor, where Black was lazily hovering above, tentacles just barely touching the sand.

If Red wasn’t deeply disturbed by the monster, he’d be embarrassed that an active predator like him could be caught off guard like that. But then again, this was _Black_ we were talking about. There was just something… Off about him.

“heh, what’re you… what’re you doing here?” Black tilted his head away from him, eyeing him suspiciously.

… At least they were trading words instead of trading shots of bone attacks at each other. But Red didn’t like how… ‘Friendly’ he was being.

“u-uh, don’t mind me.” _did i just fucking _**_stutter?!_** “jus’ gettin’ through to get to the blue drop.”

“oh… i see. getting active, huh?” Black raised a brow bone, and Red noticed the small little aggravated twitches in his tentacles.

“yeah…” Red backed away slowly, cautious of any sudden moves Black could make.

“…” Black went silent as he seemed to be inspecting Red. “… go ahead then.”

Red felt ashamed over the wash of relief that went over him. He wasn’t scared to take up a fight with Black- but he sure as hell didn’t want to. They were too evenly matched to end up anywhere other than a magic-drained panting mess. Usually Red was the first to flee the area when that happened- Black just wasn’t the one to stop.

Thankfully it had only happened the first few times they encountered each other whenever Red went through the place. Even Black knew when things didn’t go anywhere and just turned to ignore him afterwards. But… That didn’t mean they were off each other's _hooks._ Especially now with how active Black became… Red felt something had changed.

He just didn’t know what.

Red gave a curt nod to his counterpart, turning to swim away-

“before you go though, i gotta tell you something.”

Red paused before turning his skull to look over his shoulder, spinning back just a bit.

“i’m not gonna get too mad since you’re well… you. and i’m not too excited to get into a fight.” Black closed his sockets, browbones starting to get furrowed as he put a fist over where his soul was.

… Red saw that it was shaking a little.

Black frowned. “don’t come through here again.”

“what?”

“i said-“ Black opened his sockets again, sockets devoid of light, **“don’t. come. through. here. again.”**

His grin was back.

… Fuck, Black hadn’t given him _that_ grin before.

Red just stayed silent, face looking a bit more offended than fearful. _what the fuck is wrong with this…?_

“… ok _pal_. if ya say so. s'not like i ever do anythin' when i go through 'ere anyways.”

“why do you come through here anyways? other than hunting.” Black’s tone had suddenly become demanding as he frowned again and his eyelights returned- but they were intense and full of suspicion.

Red stayed silent. If he said he also came sometimes to check onBlack, to see if he’d done anything _overboard_… Black would initiate a battle, no doubt.

“… well whatever it is, i’ll just give you this. **don't come to the shore.**” Black blinked and his sockets were back to black. _“if i see you here again, i’m not going to hesitate to dust you.”_

… Something had definitely changed.

So Red made less frequent visits to the cecaelia, not that he visited that often before anyways. He didn’t like Black almost as much as Black didn’t like him- he just had to make sure Black didn’t do anything _too_ worrying. Like some kind of mandatory responsibility that fell on him, to make sure he didn’t do anything too _fishy. _Every other encounter after Black’s ‘little’ warning involved an extra warning of territorial magic in the water, Black’s eyelights getting dimmer and dimmer… Until eventually a spark of blue light was enough to snap Red out of his daze and get out before Black thought he was there for a fight.

Other than that… Humans was never his concern but… He also did notice Black had a spike in how often he ate humans. Black and Red shared their distaste in hunting in humans, only eating them when they get the chance. So when he saw Black eating a human more than once in two months, Red got just a tad bit suspicious… But quickly brushed it off. It wasn’t uncommon of monsters to eat humans anyways.

But _now…_

Red shook his skull of his memories, looking back at the two in front of him. Black was gliding his phalanges through the human woman’s hair, holding her face with another. It had been a few days since he first saw her in Black’s hold. After he saw it that first time, Red had kept coming back to see just _what_ Black was doing.

Red couldn’t believe it. Just… The blinding love and adoration that Black was pouring onto the human in front of him, seeming to completely ignore the worrying muffles of noises that came out of her every so often, as he rubbed her neck and stroked her arms with his tendrils.

The fact that he was so enamored by a _human_ of all beings was enough to give Red a skull-splitting headache.

_Was that what that was all about?_

_Was that why black had gotten so… territorial?_

Sure, Red had been getting increasingly suspicious of Black’s actions, but had found no evidence to what was really going on. He had chalked it up to Black getting even more agitated since the incident. But… _this?_

Black was obsessed. Red didn’t even know Black was obsessing over someone, let alone a _human!_

He’d only picked up that Black had gotten extremely territorial over his territory, driving monsters away, his gaze unwavering whenever he and Red had one of their uncomfortable encounters. He’d never thought he was… He was…

_Had he been looking for a mate?_

As if Red didn’t shudder from Black’s hostile aura before… This… This obsessively adoring tentacled skeleton in front of him had put a look of horror on his face. _How did he not see this at all? What were the signs?_

Just… The way he was… Holding her possessively in his tentacles, eyelights wide and intense, wandering all around her body wrapped in his bonds… The way his fingers twitched as he held her close to him, seeing his tentacles wound around her more, tightening their hold on her like she could escape him.

Black held her head, pushing it to his shoulder. Red saw him eye the side of her head, her hair, with pure adoration, browbones slanted in bliss, rubbing her back under his tentacles gently. He saw his hands' grip getting stronger as he seemed to say something to her.

“don’t you worry a thing, sea angel. you don’t have to be so scared all the time.”

“i love you… you’ll see… you’re the only one for me. and you’re _mine._ you’ll be happy with me.”

His thumb went in little circles on your back as he fixed his hold on you, tucking you under his chin as he turned to crawl deeper into his cave, scratching your hair softly. Red couldn’t see your face. But he could just _see_ the terrified look in your eyes. You looked like you felt like you weren’t supposed to be here- Red couldn’t say he disagreed with that.

Was Black really planning to keep you here like that..?

Red… Red felt something stirring in his chest. Was that… Was that pity? Sympathy?

… He felt sorry for the poor thing. She looked so scared.

…

He might regret this but…

He’ll try to talk to her some other time. He saw how Black had kept her in a cage of bone- He wasn’t around her all the time.

Maybe… Maybe for once, he could help a human out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *surprise* another Sans! :DD  
SO! Things I probably need to clear up:  
Red is UF!Sans, a mermaid, while Black is *Sans*. They are both Sanses in this universe as well.  
Red calls UT!Sans Black, as you can see. Sorry to anyone who got confused before- UT!Sans aka Black was the one who so pleasantly kidnapped you a while back.  
(I was indecisive for awhile, I can't call him ink for obvious reasons, and everything else just didn't seem to be snappy so... Black it is c:)  
I usually make last edits when I put the chap in ao3 but right now I have a pounding migraine *right behind my eye*- so I apologize for any mistakes- I'll edit this when I'm better;  
(by the way, yes, to anyone who remembered, Red was in the dream too. How fun :D )  
knknkn I hope that was ok ouo;  
Either way, thanks for reading :D <3  
  
  
OH WAIT, by the way!!  
Can you. Believe. That I. Got. FANART?!?!?  
(wth I can't believe it I rolled off my bed I was so surprised and happy)  
[kiki-sugarr](https://kiki-sugarrr.tumblr.com) (+their [amino](https://aminoapps.com/c/undertale-aus/page/user/kiki-sugarrr/NQ6a_m8f0flbPkVd3GLrJn4MJkg8X0WDKx)) made [a scene](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187027171255/kiki-sugarrr) from chapter 2!!  
[redroseofdestruction](https://redroseofdestruction.tumblr.com/) with a very colorful piece of [Sans and his mate](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187066223110/finished-some-fanart-for-aka-indulgence-of-her) <3 ;)br />  
[dragondoodles](https://dragondoodles.tumblr.com/) drew [Sans](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187182527130/so-inspired-by-aka-indulgence-and-their-amazing) as a Blue-ringed octopus!  
And ultriaprime, that made a concept of Sans' 'makeup, ^w^  
https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/186756321135/this-is-an-awful-drawing-but-i-felt-inspired-to  
*boing boing boing* I can't freuchking believe it... you guys made fanart??! ;;;A;;;  
You're all amazing and talented- I love you all *cries*


	5. "hey."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red finally gets a chance to talk to you... And you meet, officially, for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONG WAIT EVERYONE!!! ;A;  
Life happens... ;w;  
I was planning to post it before October but WHOOPS-  
Hope you'll enjoy this chap though!  
Also, there's a little of magic manipulation in here, but nothing too severe. Just thought it be worth mentioning in case anyone's sensitive to that!  
(Black doesn't make you do anything or anything, but magic is still used)

You woke up to the now usual caressing from the skeleton that was holding you his prisoner.

You can’t understand why… This monster had kidnapped you, put you in a cage whenever he isn’t in his cave- and when he is, he’s always touching you in some form of manner.

No, not touching- holding you, cradling you possessively to him, always quickly wrapping you in his tentacles, enveloping you. You were too scared to say anything against him- You’ve never seen him do anything, but you knew he could put you in a world of danger. So his gentleness was extremely off putting to you. Something about him told you that with all this softness and intimacy… He could still snap from the wrong move.

So, the fact that you were always comfortable enough to fall asleep with him still awake and rubbing you all over was a bit confusing to you. You were alarmed by it- but the way he stroked you and held you had made you feel… _good._ It always felt nice when he rubbed you gently like that. The fact that it felt so good to be held by him like that worried you. How did he do that? You didn't know much about him so... Why does he feel so... Protective? Why did he feel nice?

When it turned dark and the natural light dimmed to a faint deep blue in the water, and you were huddled in Sans’ cave, Sans’ white lights would stand out, looking eerie in the dark.You remembered the first day you were caught by the octopus-skeleton, when you were panicking silently inside the cage of bones you were stuck in… _They couldn't move!_ When it turned darker and Sans had just returned, your anxiety was spiking, the darkness seeming to want to choke you, making you feel more trapped than you really were.

Gentle, bony hands were set on your sides. Sans had just pulled his bone-cage down, and he wasn’t holding you like he did before. You saw his previous white lights soften at your shaking form, this… wave of affection and sympathy rolling off of him.

“oh, love, it’s ok…” He said in a hushed tone as he rubbed your arm, warming it up.

You weren’t sure if you were crying or not, you couldn’t tell- you were underwater.

You felt lonely when he was away. You couldn’t do much of anything.

He rubbed your arms a little bit more when you seemed to be hiccuping underwater, trying to soothe you. His hands wound behind your back and he hugged you gently, holding you close to his ribcage, his tentacles sitting attentively at his sides, swishing around gently as if even his tendrils could sense your distress.

He shushed you and you couldn’t help but grip onto his ribcage for some form of comfort- which he seemed to be extremely pleased by, crawling deeper into his cave and settling himself and you on top of the little bed of seaweed, starting to rub your head soothingly, chasing away the panic that seemed to have started in your head. “do you want to feel better, sea angel?” He cooed, as slowly, two of his tentacles had started to coil around your ankles- slowly at first, as he gaged your reaction. When you didn't react to them, they had twisted further upwards on your lower legs, starting to rub up and down slowly, delicately... A softer, _pleased_ smile on his face.

“you don’t have to be scared… i’m here.”

You gulped water into you- you don’t know exactly what Sans did to you but the seawater didn’t taste like salt and fish. You took a shaky breath and let your body relax, going a little limp. Sans apparently took it positively, as another tentacle wrapped around your waist, and more came to circle gently around you, not tightly- just resting on your back, your arms, and moving around you in a way that somehow felt… Soothing. You don’t understand how, since he was half a skeleton and half an octopus- but heat was radiating off of him. Comforting. Safe.

He started reeling you in closer to him, as his tentacles started to wrap around you tighter when you didn’t fight them off. His hands, on your head and on your back, rubbing up and down, the white lights soft and welcoming.

_Yet you could still feel the hidden strength in his hands and limbs… He could kill you so easily._

… But you were also tired and scared… You just wanted someone to comfort you. This had been so jarring, out of the blue. _Literally._ You wanted to feel better, wanted to feel safer… And even if he was the one who had abducted you in the first place, Sans seemed ready to provide you. He was radiating protectiveness, and the way he cradled you made you feel like you weren’t going to get hurt. And he always said he didn't want to hurt you... Sans had pulled his skull back from you a little, apparently watching your tired face, eyes drooping.

You hadn’t been reacting much to him but… You just started to melt on him, leaning forwards onto his sternum, which Sans took as a good sign and wrapped his tentacles further around you, tucking his skull onto your shoulder and continuing to rub.

“mmhm.” He mumbled, stroking all around you. “i can make you feel better, my pearl. let me take care of you… you’ll feel all better after this.”

You gasped when all of a sudden, a nice, comforting warmth had entered your chest while Sans’ hand on your back had started to rub slow circles around it, massaging and curling his phalanges on you. It… it felt _good…_ What was left of your unpleasant feelings were completely extinguished, and what was left was a sense of belonging and comfort. You started to feel… So… Drowsy… And you noticed, around the both of you and Sans, it had started to glow a dim blue, while your chest also had lit up a similar color… And you didn't think about it… You just... Wanted him to keep doing whatever he was doing to you.

It was so soothing. So warm. And Sans was humming encouragements all the while.

“you can feel safe with me, _my mate… _i’ll keep you safe, protect you… take care of you… you never have to worry about anything when you're with me. just go to sleep, now, my little sea angel… you’ll feel better if you just _stay with me._”

… Your mind felt hazy, and you wanted to follow what he said, he sounded so convincing at the moment... Why would you want to leave when you felt this good? You thought you wanted to stay with him as you snuggled closer to him, eyes drooping and relaxing completely in his bonds.

… You had fallen asleep quickly in his coils of tentacles, a wide, eerie smile splitting onto Sans’ face, pleased that you were listening to him, that you seemed to be content and that he could hold you closer. He let your hair flow past his phalanges as he stuck his nasal cavity to your cheek, you already lost to the world of sleep.

"_my_ beautiful mate... just let me take care of you... let me _keep _you here with me... and you'll be **happy**."

You will be, he promises. _Sans_ was happy. You had looked so _cute_ when your eyes were starting to droop, all wrapped up in _his _tentacles like that… He had shushed you and pushed his magic into your chest, surrounding your soul and pushing in his complete adoration and love of you, making you feel it more directly and letting your soul take in all of it... The side effect was that it also made you _compliant_ to him, which he won't complain about... _the soul could be such an easy little thing to manipulate..._ Of course, some monsters would call it magical emotional manipulation, making the soul feel an emotion that the administer wanted them to feel... But with other monsters that had magic of their own, it is most commonly known as a form of empathy, to let others know how they're feeling, or to make another monster feel better when they're down... _So he's not manipulating you in anyway, is he..?_ You tried to **swim away from him**earlier... And he couldn't have that. You had looked so scared, the fearful hum of your soul felt in his own soul... It's a win-win, really. He could keep you calm and content, while he could _hold on to you **tighter...**_

_He’s so happy with his human mate._

He laid you down on the seaweed and lied on top of you, letting his magic envelop you completely, a soft, calming blue glow radiating off of you- _his magic_. His tentacles twitched at the sight of you being covered by his ecto-bonds and his magic- He has you completely engulfed. If he can always sleep with you like this… _Forever_… He’ll always be content. He'll never feel sad or lonely ever again...

…

You didn’t dare question him much after that first day. You always woke up with him holding you possessively close to him, his suctions always sucking onto your skin and making you shiver whenever they popped or sucked back on again, even when he was unconscious. Always twitching when they touch you... Rubbing and shuddering when they pop on and off. It’s like even when he isn’t awake… His body always wanted you close to him, always wanting to make more contact with you if the contractions of his ecto-muscle were anything to go by. You didn’t want to struggle even as they started to squeeze you at one time- you didn’t want to wake Sans up and give him any more ideas that you were trying to get away from him- _that_ had led you to become caged by bones by the time he crawled away from his cave.

While he was either asleep or awake when you woke up, he was _always_ awake when you went to sleep, with that warm, comforting feeling that you just couldn’t… Refuse, it always just felt so _good_ when he held you like that, you never wanted that feeling to leave, never wanted _him_ to leave...

But every time you woke up you’d always be concerned on just... Why you felt it. Were you really that starved to be comforted and held? _Did you really want to be with him... **Agree** with him?_

Whenever he was conscious when you woke up, his tentacles weren’t roaming around your body thoughtlessly but… It wasn’t exactly _better_ either. He was fully _aware_ of what he was doing- and what he wanted was to touch and feel you out, like he couldn’t get enough of the feel of your skin against him. Just like this morning…

You’d woken up with your hands gently placed on his ribcage again, your fingers curled into your pams and your head under his chin, a steady, warm hum coming from somewhere in his ribcage- though you can’t exactly see _what_ or _where_ it’s coming from… It was strong and comforting- kind of similar to the feeling that seemed to enter your chest when you fell asleep… But also different. _Pure._

“rise and shine, pearl…” Came the soft, gentle voice of the tentacled skeleton himself. “did you sleep well..?”

… You always slept easy with him. Always slept quickly, never a restless night. Ever since that first night you had panicked less and he wouldn’t use his magic on you… But although you definitely didn’t _choose by your own will_ to be here, it was surprisingly nice to sleep with him. So every time he asked, you had always answered-

“… Yes.”

A tentacle had found its way under your chin and lifted it up to meet those unwavering eyelights of your his, as another had floated over to the top of your head to stroke down your hair.

“good.”

The tentacle on your chin had slithered under and over your cheek, the suctions sticking to your face as Sans had started to lean back on the bed of seaweed with you on top of him, still rubbing your hair and making your head follow each of his tentacle's strokes in the slightest. You’d say you’ve gotten used to being rubbed and stroked all over like this after him doing it so much to you every time he was in his cave- but you were always… On edge. The way he always held you close like you could get away at any moment had always unsettled you... And he always seemed like he could change demeanor at the sound of a droplet- and it wasn’t because he was a monster. You’re not sure that every monster wasn’t like this… But he seemed to have something a bit… Off, about him.

You stayed quiet with a little slant of your eyebrows as the tentacle on your cheek went up and down, feeling the suckers drag along it and making you shiver a bit- his other tentacles twitching tighter around you in respond as the tentacle on your head continued to stroke you.

“… you're so pretty, my mate.” Sans suddenly sounded under you, pulling your eyes away from the tentacle that was starting to suck onto your cheek- already you could feel the marks starting to form. “i can’t stop looking at you, feeling you… you’re so soft and squishy,” His tentacles starting to give little squeezes all around your body as he said it.

“A-ah, uh...” You tried to make as little sound as possible, feeling nervous. Soon the squeezing stopped and turned into rubbing, his tentacles dragging on your skin on the places where they made contact.

“makes cute little noises too,” Sans’ sockets crinkled, his eyelights glowing serenely at you, his hands going up to circle your shoulders a bit. "i like you so much."

“ah… i wish i can just… hold you like this forever…” His sockets lidded, thumbing the balls of your shoulders.

He pulled away the tentacle on your face- leaving a line of red marks on it with a small, almost unnoticeable whimper coming out of you. His eyesockets crinkled again at the sight- always seeming to be delighted to see the marks he left on your face.

“i can still sense you’re scared of me, (y/n).” His eyesockets opened before lidding again- his tentacle coming back to your face to stroke up. “i can make sure you’re safe… comfortable… can give you more if you want, but you don’t seem to ask for anything…” He mulled, as the tentacle progressed up the side of your face, the tip going over your temple as you just shut your eyes from the… not _entirely_ unpleasant feeling.

“if you just _let me_ take care of you, mate…” His tentacle started to curl over your forehead, the suckers suctioning onto you again.

“i’m sure _we’ll_ have a good life.”

You looked at him for a second before gritting your teeth when his suction cups had popped off and on you again in waves from the lower parts of his tentacle- grimacing when he dragged it slowly down your face, coming off of your chin in a ‘come here’ motion, the tip bobbing your head up a bit before he fully extracted it off you.

The rest of his tentacles slithered off you and gave you a small shudder when they left, starting to rub your arm up and down- seeing the red marks on both of them, no doubt a new trail of them still fresh on your face.

You were suddenly pulled away from your thoughts when that _force_ had centered around your chest again, a darker blue light coming off of you and bones were erected on every side surrounding you, going limp when he let go of his magic on you.

You automatically went closer to the ‘bars’ of your tiny ‘prison’, seeing the magic glow of blue slowly fading from his hands.

“i’ll see you later, my mate.” He said before he swam away to hunt.

…

You sighed, resting in the sand and pushing yourself back to the bones that were behind you, leaning back and straightening your legs on the sand before you started to get lost in your mind on the thoughts of the octopus-skeleton. You’ve tried multiple times to break out of these bones- They were like steel, and even though they seemed to be set in the easily brushable sand- they were completely unmovable by you. It didn’t help that you were in the water and your feet were always planted in the sand when you tried to push on it, pull on it, anything- it never seemed to budge.

It didn’t _feel_ or even _look_ like normal bone anyways- but it’s durability and strength still surprised you.

… _Maybe… Maybe I should just give in to him… He hasn’t hurt me… He hadn’t shown any real reasons for me to go away from him- other than going back to land… Maybe… Maybe I really should just accept to be his mate-_

“hey.”

You didn’t even realized you’ve closed your eyes when suddenly Sans had come back inside the-

… Wait. That’s not Sans.

He… Certainly looked and sounded _similar_ to Sans, but-

This monster… His top part was skeleton and his anatomy seems to be similar to Sans’, but he had rows of sharp teeth in his mouth, a golden, glinting tooth at the corner, and red lights in his sockets. And the most jarring difference was that his lower half was in a _red fish tail._

_ Who... Who's this? _

* * *

Red’s soul was pounding as he came behind an especially large rock that sat close to Black’s cave- the same one he hid behind when he first spotted the human he held in his limbs.

_He's lucky Black hadn’t spotted him then and now…_

He knows he’s still there in the cave… He can’t be outside yet, can he?

If he tries to look closer, somewhere in the small but sizable cave, covered by the shadows… He could see faint little movements, a tentacle swishing occasionally.

_yep, black’s still there…_

He couldn’t see the human. But he knows you’re there… Black never seemed to let you roam freely from his cave- and even then, he doesn’t _look_ like he’ll be letting you out of the cave soon.

If Red strained his non-existent ears at the direction of the cave… He could hear the deep voice of his octopus counterpart, talking in a quiet yet with an underlying powerful voice, hushed enough not to startle anyone… but to someone like Red, someone’s who’s seen and heard him use his voice while he was **fighting** with that cold edge to it… He knew it wasn’t all fine and good with that soft, gentle voice.

He couldn’t see _entirely _what was going on… But with the occasional swish of a tentacle, flexing, he knew he was… _fondling_ the human again.

He doesn’t know how long he’ll have to wait for his chance. Had he come too early? When does Black usually leave his cave? Despite having a <strike>mate</strike> human in his cave, shouldn’t he be out soo-

Red’s eyelights sharpened when he saw a faint, dark blue light emit from the cave, glowing out of the mouth... And magic wafting out of it, the buzz felt on his magic-sensitive bones- always taking note of how much of a master at magic Black was. He brought himself closer to the back of the rock when he saw the 8 limbed skeleton emerge from the cave, walking backwards and facing the cave, a faint blue glow still coming off of his phalanges.

“i’ll see you later, my mate.” The blue magic from his hands faded, before his tentacles shifted on the sands- eventually picking himself up on it, and swimming away at speeds _you_ hadn’t seen him swam in, in the direction of the Blue Drop.

He waited for a few seconds, hiding behind the rock completely, hoping that Black hadn't somehow sensed him and came to round the rock and giving him a beat down.

… He didn't come.

Red gulped, finally allowing himself to emerge from his hiding place, eyelights darting around and fixing in the direction of the Blue Drop, seeing if he could still see the faint figure of Black swimming away…

…

He can’t see him anymore.

… _He needs to make this quick._

With one powerful swish of his tail, he’d shoot away from the rock and darted to the cave- where he sees you lying down with your back against a _pillar of bone-_ completely trapped inside a cage of Black’s bones, your legs stretched in front of you, your hands folded on top of your chest, your eyes closed in an expression that told him you were thinking-

… _wow, she's pretty._

…

_the fuck?!_

Where did those thoughts come from? Is he really admiring the beauty of this human he _just_ had a closer inspection on? He needed to focus damn it!

When he looked at you again, he saw that your skin looked so soft in the dim lighting of the cave, soft curtains of light coming through the entrance, your expression held in adorable pondering-

He shook his skull and refocused his eyelights, reminding himself he’s not here to admire the fine features he never thought a human could have- since he’s never gotten so close to a human before…

Her skin looked so inviting and smooth... When he saw the red markings all over them, rings decorating wherever your skin showed, on your arms, your legs, on your _face_... _He could see some of them hidden under your clothes when they swished a little from the water, more markings under the fabric._

Red shivered a bit. He's here to ask you about that.

“hey.”

Your eyes opened instantly, a small surprised expression washing over you as your eyes darted to him- _oh wow were they pretty-_ As you just stayed there, blinking a few times, looking him up and down and lingering on a few places, like his eyesockets, his teeth, his _lower half…_

… Oh fuck, why does he suddenly feel self-conscious all of a sudden? Now that’s a new emotion he’s never gotten used to. And why would it come from a human he just met too?

To his dismay, your eyes widened when they darted back to his teeth and his face, starting to curl into a ball in your little cage, going as far as you could to the bones to the back of the cave, looking scared, of _him_.

“whoa whoa whoa- easy there pal. i ain’t here to hurt you, please…” He assured, his hands coming in front of him in a surrender gesture as he made no move to get closer to you.

“Wh… Who are you?” You looked back to him, making no move to uncurl yourself from the little ball you made yourself, looking up at him with fearful eyes.

“uh…” He… He suddenly couldn’t think. You must be scared of his sharp teeth and his red lights- Humans should know most monsters are predators, and dear old Black’s got soft yet strong tentacles, relatively dull teeth, and white lights- while _Red’s_ image just _screamed_ predator- blood red lights, shark-teeth, and a slick and powerful red tail to match. He didn’t exactly look… _Friendly_. Not that he was- This intimidation-on-sight was naturally in his favor and kept people from messing with him or trying to be smart when they couldn’t outwit him. But he wished he didn’t look so intimidating when you were looking at him like that when he just wanted to help you out.

“h-hey human, my name’s sa- red.” He quickly fixed himself and cursed at almost saying his ‘real’ name. You’d be very confused to know he was ‘another’ Sans.

“Sa… Red…?” You tilted your head at him. <strike>It was adorable</strike>-

“no no… it’s just red, girly.” He swam closer to the cage you were in when you started to relax at his introduction. “call me red- and i hope you don’t mind me visitin’ you.”

You still hadn’t completely let go of your knees, your feet shifting nervously in the sand. “You’re uh… You’re not here to try to eat me?” You lowered your head a bit at him, eyeing him carefully.

“pfft- nah, humans ain’t usually on m’ diet,” He settled in the sand in front of the cage, putting his chin in one of his hands. “but i could if ya asked me to.” He winked.

Your head picked up and your brows furrowed a bit when you heard that, Red trying his best not to let his smile grow and failing miserably- When your eyes widened again and your face turned a bright red, a hand quickly flying to your cheek and looking away rom him, pursing your lips- your legs relaxing.

“O-oh, um, a-are you saying what i think you're saying?” You shyly asked him, an  adorable awkward smile on your lips, looking back at him. "I... I didn't know monsters did that too."

_oh fuck she’s cute-_

“you’d be surprised.” Red lidded his sockets, his smile continuing to grow on his face. “a-anyways-“

"i'm here because i wanted to ask ya a coupla questions, girly... i might now the answers to some of them, from what i've seen..." He looked at the bones surrounding you, his smile dropping a bit. "do ya mind, sea shell?" 

You relaxed further, your head tilting to the side curiously. “Oh ok… Um… Can I ask you first?”

“sure thing sweets, shoot.”

… He didn’t even realize the nicknames he’d be throwing out at you when you seemed to pause for a second, the blush still glowing on your face.

… _oh fffuck, this is dangerous._

“Uhm… Did… Did Sans send you here? A-actually... Are you in anyway related to Sans..?”

He should’ve seen that coming- His skeleton side looks almost completely like him.

“uh well, i guess you could say we’re ‘related’ but, heh, not really.” His grin turned into a grimace for a second thinking of Black, a weird sensation creeping up his neck. “i used to know ‘im, but now i don’t really talk with the octopus.”

You didn’t seem like you knew how to take that- your face contorting from mild confusion to relief(?)- then back to worry.

You were still wary of him.

“h-hey, don’ worry about it, sweets!” His body started to radiate nervous magic, wishing he could just keep you calm- “‘m still not here ta hurt ya or anything. now… may i ask you some questions, pretty lady?”

_yes, calm her down with compliments, that should lighten up her mood.\_

<strike> Not that he was transfixed at how pretty you were… </strike>

Light pink was on your cheeks and you seemed to be a bit flustered from all the things he was saying to you… Suddenly making him want to pinch you. _Fuck, he hadn't anticipated what a sweet little thing you really were._

“Oh yes of course, _handsome_ skeleton! What do you want to ask?” You shot back with a tiny smile on your face.

… Red froze at the compliment, his own shade of red starting to dust his cheekbones which he quickly brushed away- _the hell, this ain’t the time for this!_

“well then human…” He started to wrack his skull for what he should ask first- _How did you meet Black? Why does he want you here? Did you come here on purpo- no that’s pretty obvious but- safer than sorry right? What has he been doing to you? Are you his mate? How has he been treating you? **Are you ok? **And those… Red marks on your body…_

… Oh, he should probably start with your name- don’t just wanna just call you ‘human’ for the rest of the conversation.

“let's start with you. what’s your name, human?”

“Oh, my name?” You seemed to be a bit surprised at the question- He _did_ take some time thinking over them in his skull. “Uh, well, I’m (Y/n). Glad I’m conscious when I introduced myself this time!” You chirped nervously.

… _what does that mean?_

“conscious?” Red asked, suspicions rising in his ribcage. “whaddaya mean by that..?”

“Uh, well…” You fiddled with your fingers for a bit. “When I introduced myself to Sans, I was unconscious. Because when I woke up with him, he already knew my name…”

“wait wait-“ Red shook his hands, “what happened to ya, darlin’? how’d ya come to get here anyways?”

You hummed for a bit, curling back into a ball.

You started to explain.

“I was… I was riding a boat, a couple of days ago. It was up from Shell Beach, if you call it that too..? It was just sailing near the coast, going into the Deep Sea, before it went around in Skull Reef, and…”

… Red was horrified.

You told him how you were just on the boat, looking at the view, enjoying the breeze… When you saw Black just… Already there. Waiting for you- behind you. How he had blocked your way out… How his white lights had glowed in the dark, locking onto you… The way his tentacles made wet, squelching noises on the boat’s deck as he crawled closer to you- and you couldn’t make a move to run away, cornered at the back of the boat. When his tendrils just grabbed hold of you and coiled around you, keeping you constricted and sealed your mouth from making a noise, pulling you in into the practically freezing waters of the night…

_he just… kidnapped her into the dark waters of the night?!  
_

And that wasn’t even half of it.

You told him how you woke up on his ribcage, being stroked all over your body, his tentacles lingering at a few places… His suckers popping off and on you… You don't even remember what happened after you fell in. All of a sudden you could breathe underwater and you don't even know what he did to you, or why he wants you- but all of a sudden he calls you his **_“mate.”_**

_so i was right… black did want ‘er as a mate…_

He told you you _belonged to him…_ And that you’ll be happy with him… **Forever…**

“f-fuck, sweetheart.” He hushed when he saw you had started to shiver from just talking about Black, going back to hugging your knees to yourself- but this time looking at Red with these _eyes_ that just- Made his soul thump softly for you. “what’s he been doin’ to ya..?”

“Been holding me… W-wrapping me in his tentacles… Telling me I’m lovely and beautiful… That I’m _his…_” You hugged yourself tighter, looking away, trying to hold in the little quiver of your mouth. "I... I don't know what to think of him. He doesn't seem like he wants to hurt me at all but... He scares me."

_shit- he’s possessive._

_ya were right ta be scared, human..._

He’s really treading on thin ice… Not only did Black want this <strike>sweet</strike> human as a mate, he also had the intention of claiming you for himself. Red wasn’t too surprised at that, from what he’s seen- just rubbing your head and leaning his face so close to yours that he could’ve kissed you… This had just confirmed it. As if Black wasn’t already dangerous enough before- he had claimed a human as a mate and is possessive over her.

_not good. for either of us, really._

He’ll need to be even more careful than he thought…

“… ok, ok.” Red swam closer to the bone cage, placing his hands on the bone-bars, inspecting them… Damn, Black’s bones were sturdy. He needs to find a way to get rid of them... “so… ya just woke up already able to breath an’ everythin’? ya really have no idea how ya've gotten that?”

“Well… Not exactly... Other than that, I never felt cold to the point of freezing here, even during the night, and when I don't even get hit by sunlight- Like when I'm on land.” You explained, “Black said he did… _something_ to my soul…”

_the soul?_

_fuck._

“y-your soul, sweetheart?” He leaned in closer to the bars, as if he was trying to get in himself. “what did he do to yer soul?”

_he can’t have… bonded with her already-?!_

“Said something about putting his magic in it…” _fuck-_ “Something to keep me breathing and warm, he said.”

“so… he didn’t rub his soul together wit’ yers?” Red had to make sure. Or else there was nothing he could really do to help you...

“… No… I don’t think so…” You started to scoot closer to him. “It was glowing green and blue…”

… _What did that mean?_

Red almost didn’t want to know what sort of magic Black had… Prepared for you.

“What would happen if he… Rubbed his soul with mine?” You asked innocently, your hands going to your chest to where your soul should be, looking apprehensive.

… Maybe he should tell you some other time. You looked scared enough already.

“well, it ain’t good fer ya if ya don’t wanna spend yer lifetime together with him.” Red replied. “so… he’s jus’ been keepin’ ya here to himself?”

“Yes… He put me in here when I tried to swim away from him once...” _which is an absolutely fair move-_ “And he holds me when I’m out of it…”

Well damn. “what’s gotten him so entranced wit’ ya, human?” You did seem _very lovely,_ Red couldn't deny that… But to the point where _Black_, someone who _hates_ humans to just pull into the ocean and be so obsessive and wanting to literally keep her down here forever- He just can’t wrap his skull around it. _black... i really don't know ya anymore, don't i?_

“…” You stayed silent for awhile, becoming relaxed a bit as you tried to think it over, seeming to focus on his eyelights. “… I don’t know.”

“have ya ever met him before?”

“I don’t think I have… But _he_ seems to know… A lot of things about me, to say the least.” Your words almost came out as a whimper. He didn’t blame you… It couldn’t be easy just getting captured and pulled to a completely different environment that you weren’t supposed to be living in. It did however explain more to why Black had gotten so territorial over the year… He must’ve taken interest in you at one point during that time and followed you around… He wouldn’t want any monsters- and potential danger come to his potential mate.

“so, how long have ya been here?”  


“… A few days…”

And nothing seemed to be changing any time soon- since the first time Red spotted you.

“had ya been tryin' ta fight him off or somethin’..? ask him to send ya back ta land?” From how possessive he seemed to be, that seemed to be unlikely that he’d do anything if you asked him about that… Fighting was also… Quite impossible.

You seemed to pause again. “I did… Ask if I could go home on the first day…”

“anythin’ else?”

“… I… He doesn’t look happy when I mention anywhere else other than his cave as my home… He always held my… My _soul_ harder when I asked so… I didn't try anything else.”

“It’s not that I… Hate him or anything but… I… I just don’t know what’s going on anymore…”

He didn't blame you. _sweets, it's alright... if ya weren't confused, i'd be concerned._

“… ok sweetheart,” Red rubbed the back of his skull, kicking off the sand with his tail and inspecting the bones a bit. This looks like some sturdy magic, it belonged to Black… But it’s not like Red couldn’t do anything about it.

“we need t’ get ya outta here… ya can’t just stay here with him like this,” He ran his phalanges through the black bones. You perked up, standing up to look at him swimming around the cage. “R-really? You’re going to help me?”

“can’t just let a pretty treasure like ya self be stuck here if she doesn’t wanna be here, right?” He winks down at you before he thought of ways he can break the bone barriers.

Your eyes had practically sparkled at him, and the gentle pulse of hope from your soul could be felt in his ribcage, melting him from the inside out, filling him with the will to get you out from him. He knows Black would have his skull if he found out but… His bones just wouldn’t sit right with him if he just left you alone, confused and scared by a dangerous cecaelia. He knows Black never meant any harm to you but... Red couldn't leave you be like that.

“… W-wait! You have to get out soon!”

All of a sudden, your hands had grabbed his wrist, pulling him down so he could get eyesocket to eye with you- you sitting back down on the sand, legs folded under you. Your voice and grip had an urgency to it that he hadn’t just instinctively pulled his hand out of your hold.

“We’ve been talking for awhile now… I don’t think it’s too safe here…”

“… fuck, yer right.” Red blinked, his teeth in a straight line. _Black could come back here at any time… And he could feel the magic signature of Black in the distance, somewhere._

“look pretty lady,” He cooed, pulling you closer to the edge of the bone cage, to him. “i’ll find a way to get ya out just… wait fer me, ok? i promise i’ll come back fer ya.” He took your arm in his and thumbed it a little, a soft smile on his face. “i’ll… i’ll see ya later.”

_Black’s magic was getting stronger…._

He let go of your hand and had quickly swished his tail, swimming out of the cave and going over it, already able to see the outline of Black at the distance, with some of his tentacles holding onto… Food, he assumes…

_just wait fer me, human, i swear i’ll try to get ya out._

* * *

...

You watched as the mer-skeleton let go of your hand… _It was so warm and kind…_ Different with Black’s touch. He wanted to _help_ you…

“Please come back.” You caught yourself muttering as you saw his tail disappear out the mouth of the cave… Not long after, a similar but _colder _voice entering the cave.

_“i’m back, my pearl.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a few struggles with this chap... I hope it was good!  
I'll try to post at least once a month on this fic ;w;  
Things like school and social stuff happened, and I hope I'll get back in this soon qwq  
Well, before I leave, I have received another fanart of [Black gathering pearls for his mate](https://www.deviantart.com/thelexinomicon/art/Pearls-For-My-Pearl-813882284) by the Lexinomicon!  
[And a very flirty Black](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187700755475/captaindeadmaster-fanart-for-the-fic) from CaptainDeadMaster!  
It's late and I need to go to sleep, hope you guys are happy~  
I'm back! ;u;  
Oh- and an extra thing before I forget! :0  
Yes, I actually DO take asks about my fics, like what ifs and whatnot. Because apparently people didn't know before? ^^ because I do~ and I love answering them ;u;  
You can ask over [here on my tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com) if you'd like, I don't mind, really- I enjoy answering them!


	6. Heartbeats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thump. Thump. Thump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's been awhile...  
I was very busy last month... And this month... But I THINK, I should be ok in December.  
Anyways- Here's some Red time :]
> 
> (P. S. Did a little change in the edits of this chapter, if anything seems off, feel free to let me know and I'll fix it :) )

Sans had noticed a… Change in your soul, in your heart rate. It'd went up a bit while he held you that night. You also had been in a ‘mood’ since he came back, though it was hardly anything he was going to complain about. But… He still had felt something was up with his human.

At the end of the day, when he came home to his little mate, you had a… _Look_ in your eyes, not noticing him immediately, staring off into the waters, hands on the bones… Then your eyes met his sockets, and you looked like you were caught off guard, your eyes widening just the tiniest bit and looking away from him, nervous.

It was odd sure, but Sans hadn't thought much of it. When he came home to you you usually didn't notice him approaching, always thinking, in your head. And when you did notice him you’d quickly become alert, watching him with wary eyes, the bones pulling away from you and not fighting anymore when his limbs came to latch onto you. You weren't used to living underwater, you weren't used to _him_ being your _mate_ yet. Sans didn't blame you for that, you were a human and he was a monster, and suddenly being pulled into the water from land... Of course you'd need time. He could give you that.

_You needed time to accept him as your mate..._

He’ll wait for as long as you needed, _as long as you’re his…_

He did his usual thing whenever he came home to you, picking you up and carrying you deeper into the little cavern, petting the hair that was gently flowing and bobbing around your head, resting on the walls of the cave and giving you the catch of the day... But that's when he noticed something else.

All the while he was rested with you wrapped in his tentacles, held to his chest… Your heartbeats were more noticeable than usual. Just a little quicker, a little harder, like you were excited. He was always kind of curious about a human's heartbeat, found it... Funny. He knew that it was a good sign if he felt it, from all the drowning he's done on the beach... Especially when he has a tentacle wrapped around their neck to keep their head down, he could feel every pulse, fighting against his bonds- and eventually stopping. yours on the other hand...

Small yet strong, always a sign that you were alive, with him… He liked yours a lot.

It was almost _cute_ to him, your heartbeat.

But as he held you there and stroked you, he couldn't ignore how much more- _active_ it was, every pump felt on his sternum with your chest to his. And when he took a little look of you, he saw that while your eyes seemed to be staring into his ribs, he could tell you had a lot on your mind. Usually, you'd give all your focus on him, on the way he held you... _He loved that._

So he had picked up your chin to make you face him, scrutinizing your expression as you focused back on him, trying to find something on your face that could tell him anything that was on your mind. He got that you were trying to avoid his gaze, with you averting your eyes and pressing your lips nervously together. He felt like there must be something up, but... You haven't been able to handle his gaze when he was quiet- you'd do the same exact thing any other time, the only reason you didn't is because he had a tentacle wound around your head, keeping it still to keep those pretty eyes on him. But Sans couldn't help but feel that something was different...

But he didn't pry more that night, only letting your face go, which seemed to _relieve_ you from the way you quickly rested your cheek on his chest, conveniently hiding your face from him. He'd noticed, but he couldn't focus on that, only feel that soft human skin on his bones, _willingly_ close to him that he couldn't focus on that at the moment, only at the intimacy. You didn't even wriggle as he kept brushing his tentacles on your limbs, and Sans was happy enough to enjoy every second of it, so he didn't pay much mind. You'd look so... Compliant.

When the both of you tried to sleep however, he noticed just how _restless_ you were. You weren't moving or anything, but he could feel that nervousness coming off of you, troubling your sleep. He had done the same as when he sensed you were anxious, pushing the soothing magic into you to settle your soul that had been radiating something _strong_. It had taken his magic longer to calm your soul, and while he checked your soul as he tried to soothe it from it’s _excitement_, he noticed something.

Your HOPE went up…

That was a good thing. But why... And why did Sans feel nervous about the sudden increase?

His magic did eventually work and you did curl closer to him to be closer to the soothing magic wafting off him and went to sleep but… Sans had stayed up a bit longer after that, for some reason feeling anxious because of you, feeling like something’s going to happen to you, holding you closer to him, tentacles coiling around your ankles and your back, his hands almost reaching back to the front from how much closer he held onto you that night… He wasn’t sure what was the cause of the change, and he didn’t like that he didn't know. He was worried.

He had slept after feeling your soul calming down and seemingly having to fall into a deep, dreamless slumber, following soon after you… But when he woke up, again, you were up before him, heart rate picking up again, facing away from him, looking outside the cave. Silent, watching…

Sans couldn’t stand it anymore.

He gently cupped your cheek, telling you that he was awake, carefully pulling your face to look back at him. He didn’t like the way you looked outside. Made his anxiety spike, like you were thinking of _leaving him._

“(y/n)…” He called, rubbing your cheek with his thumb absentmindedly, his tentacles curling around you more out of a feeling of… Insecurity that was starting to grow in his chest, a very unwelcomed feeling. “tell me… what’s wrong?”

You seemed to be processing his words for awhile, caught off guard again, looking as if you were studying his face... And he felt your heart race pick up more before you answered.

“N… Nothing. There’s nothing wrong.”

“... why were you looking away like that?”

You looked surprised for a second- as if you were guilty, like he caught you on something. Sans could _smell_ the nervousness from you in the water, a twinge of fear with a lot of anticipation. Sans knew something was off.

“I was just… Thinking, th-that’s all.” You answered, the nervousness bubbling up to the surface of your face as you caught your own stutter, eyes widening a bit and pressing your lips together.

He knew that wasn't all. _what is on your mind-?!_

He pressed both of his hands to your cheeks, right before you tried to turn your head away from him again, his tentacles twitching underneath him, having to lessen their hold on you that night, wanting to hold you- but he didn't let himself, wanting to focus on your answers first. His soul felt all the more insecure every time you seemed like you were avoiding him. You looked like you had problems keeping your eyes on him, darting away before pulling back to him. By now he knows you were trying to avoid him- _why?!_ He's your mate, you can trust him. _look at me, and accept me and **love me-**_

_... it's fine, sans. she's not used to it yet, she's not used to **you** yet... not yet. you can wait for her, you can wait for her..._

His face turned dark, eyelights piercing you. You had no other choice but to look at him while he leveled you with his endless stare, cold white lights. Your heart was pounding against his ribs, and your breathing shortened, indicating stress and fear. He had been absentmindedly holding you but… Something about your behavior just… Made him want to hold you closer.

_ why are you scared of me _

_ what are you hiding _

_"(y/n)."_ The tentacles that had been idle under him, with only a few brushing against you, had started to twitch again, quickly attaching onto your ankles and coiling upwards, another grabbing your waist, without his conscious effort. "tell me... what's on your mind, love. i'm... _worried_."

Your breath had stopped a bit the further his tentacles coiled around you and him leaning towards you, and he saw you gulp before answering again. “I’m… I’m fine, really-“

**“don’t lie to me.”** His tentacles tightened around you, your eyes widening, looking at him, mouth parted in the slightest. For the first time since he _caught you_, he felt you struggling in his bonds again.

“N-no, I'm not lying, I'm fine!” You tried again, even more of that anxious aura wafting off of you.

“no... you’ve been a bit different since yesterday, (y/n).” Sans had always adored you and he’d wait for as long as you need for you to accept him, hell, he waited for a year before he gave himself a chance to actually _touch_ you, he can wait longer with you in his cave, always being able to touch you and keep you close in his territory… But he could tell you were trying to hide something, and that had quickly made him impatient. He didn’t want you ‘tip-toeing’ around him and making him feel anxious.

“i can tell there’s something in your mind, something bothering you…” He let go of your face, one hand to brace your shoulder, and the other going to your chest, and leaning closer- another surprised gasp from you as he pressed his hand right above your heart, feeling your heartbeat… It was _racing_ now. The tip of his tentacle that had wound around your arm, slowly moved downwards to your wrist, feeling the pulse there as well. Why was it so fast, why were you so _nervous?!_

“your heartbeats are quick… and your _soul…”_ He almost growled, feeling impatient and his metaphorical nerves getting at him. He pushed in a bit of blue magic into your chest to feel it, an uncomfortable whimper escaping your lips as he felt around it… Buzzing, this time with anxiety. “you’re more scared than usual, and…”

His eyelights looked back up from the spot in your chest, piercing into your eyes. “your HOPE… it went up." His tentacles tightened around you and he could hear you making more sounds of fear- he didn't want to scare you, but he needed to know.  "i know you're thinking about something... _hiding_ something from me, (y/n). **so tell me."**

You struggled to keep up with his gaze, muttering nothing, scrambling something in your mind. All the while, he could feel you shaking in the slightest in his hold, before you burst out words.

“I-I’ve j-just been thinking…” Your voice was shaky, eyes drifting away from him again. “I'm going to be honest... I was looking back because I was thinking of the land..." His grip tightened around you. “B-but, I looked back here and looked at you, and, and...”

Your eyes darted back to him before you moved- suddenly wrapping your arms around his chest and pressing close to him- “I… I decided... _I want to be with you!”_

...

_“ ... w h a t ? ”_ Sans was so shocked by how close _you_ were being to him, pressing your chest as close as you could to his ribs, heart still racing. He had been so shocked he completely lost his grip on you, but you kept being pressed to him.

He couldn’t believe what he heard.

“... what do you mean..." He was cautious. Was that why your hope...? "say that again. what do you _mean_ you want to be with me?!"

“I… Want to be with you?” You said, timid, looking up to him.

“_you…_ want to be with _me…_ _here?_” He had to make sure- his hands had floated closer, back to you, sockets wide and eyelights as small as a pinprick. "what do you mean?! why?! you hadn't done anything but be stiff at best when i'm around... why did you change all of a sudden?!" You had just repeated what you said. His tentacles flexed impatiently. He needed to know _why._ Why did you say this all of a sudden- what happened?!

“…” You were silent for awhile, before nodding gently. "It's because of you, Sans." Sans blinked a few times from the gentleness in your voice as you carefully tilted your head up to look at him more. 

“Sans... You... Took me here... From the surface... Kidnapped me..." You started slowly, and your cautious voice sent a brief pang of guilt through his chest that he didn't even get a chance to register, since the fingers that were delicately stroking his back ribs as kept his focus solely on you. "But, despite that... I have to thank you..." _what?!_ "Even though you did that, even though from what I know from what I'm told that monsters hates humans... You've never hurt me. I was always scared of that when you took me, but... You never hurt me. You always tried to keep me comfortable and you're just so **nice** and, a-and... I just have to thank you. You're so nice that I get so happy whenever I'm near you... I want to be with you, Sans."

…

His practically threw his limbs back onto you, twisting around your body, on your legs, your waist, his hands tight against your back as he all but crushed you onto his ribs- even making you cry out a little from how tightly he hold you. A huge smile on his face, eyesockets still wide but his eyelights dilated so much that it practically shone the inside of the cave a bit- wide as a coin.

_she wants to be with me she wants to be with me she wants to be with me me _ ** _me-_ **

She felt it now. She felt what he wanted her to feel ever since he decided she was going to be his mate. She was _happy_ when he was around- She _wanted_ to stay here with him, she understands that he was trying and that he didn't want to hurt her. Sans... Sans was in euphoria.

_“me. you want to be with **me**?”_

He heard you say it. It’s what he always wanted to hear. He just wanted to hear it again.

“Ah- y-yes!” You said, out of breath, tendrils wound around you and squeezing you, making it hard for you to speak, your voice coming out in a squeak, eyes pressed closed.

It made sense. You were just nervous. You were nervous to tell him. That’s why you had been so fretful and excited- and _happy._ You had finally seen him for what he’d be for you, what he could do for you, seen him as a potential mate, no- he already was yours. That’s why you were happy yet jumpy at the same time, around him, looking away and around… Letting him touch you more… You accepted to be his his his **his**-

“Ah- Sans! You’re squeezing me too hard- I can’t breathe!”

His eyelights contracted a bit before he quickly let up on his tight bonds- relaxing his tentacles around you and pulling his arms back a bit, hands drifting to your face as you pulled in heavy breath after heavy breath, looking tired. He didn’t mean to suffocate you… But he just _loved you so much, he wanted you to be close, close, close…_

A single tentacle drifted to your face- his favorite place to put it, letting it slide up your cheek and stick to it, keeping you faced to him. “you mean it, right? you want to stay with me- you want to be with me-“

He didn’t even give you time to answer- your mouth opened and quickly his tentacle had pulled off your face and he pulled your head with his arms onto his neck, unable to help himself but squeeze you again, tentacles twisting further around you.

“i love you i love you i love you… i’ll promise i’ll take care of you- you’ll be happy with me. you’re _mine-“_

His mind was overwhelmed. He could only think of _you_ and how you’re going to be with him- Honestly, he’d thought it would take longer than this before you came around… But your arms around his ribs, face pressed onto his sternum and squeezing him _back-_ those heartbeats on his chest. He wasn’t going to let it go- he was going to take everything he could get from you- and you were giving _back_ to him. He’s wanted that for so long now…

You didn’t say anything- just squeezing yourself to him more as his grin split wide on his face, actually starting to hurt. You finally accepted him… His soul was soaring and his mind didn’t seem to work. But you were here with him- and he felt elation.

“you never have to worry, never…” He gently petted your hair with a tentacle, loving how you felt against it. “you’ll always be fine with me…” He said, before slowly, _reluctantly_, letting you go again.

“i’m going to get food, **_mate…_**” _he can truly say that, now…_ “i’ll see you later…”

He parted from you, not before raising the bones again and trapping you, you looking around in a bit of a stupor before looking back to him- and he just gave you an easy smile.

_“if you really meant it, you’d stay…”_ He said in a sing-song voice, looking back at you longingly, wanting to be with you as much as he wanted to, but he had to leave to get the both of you food… Prove himself to you, that he could provide and take care of you… He quickly swam away after, prying his eyelights away from you.

* * *

…

Your heart was still beating a mile a minute.

That look on his face, the tone of his voice… You panicked internally if you’ve made a mistake.

Yesterday, right when Red had left you alone in Sans’ cave… Your hope _did_ soar. You couldn’t stop thinking about his offer to help. He had been so kind, so gentle, so willing to help… You clung onto that hope, and you really were anticipating if Red would be able to get you out of here.

But Sans. He was back as soon Red had left- and it made you… Anxious. Being around him, thinking if you could be out of here sooner than later… While your captor was right _there_, with his tentacles around you, hands holding your head and back. You were nervous around him, made you all the more restless thinking about getting away. So you stayed in your mind, just thinking about it.

And of course, you being a human with human internal workings, just _had_ to mean that your excitement showed on your person- on your biological self.

The nervousness was circulating in your blood, your heart rate picking up- that weird feeling you get in your stomach, churning and making it a bit uncomfortable as your blood pulled away from it to the other parts of your body, your fingers and toes going just slightly colder… And Sans. He was always paying attention to you- he noticed. You were still in your mind when he'd suddenly pulled your head to face him, with a tentacle gingerly wrapped around the back of your head so that you couldn't turn anywhere else... And you saw the way his eyelights darted all over your face, looking into your eyes, searching for something.You were just thinking about a way that could take the bones away when he did- and the way he looked at you… You felt like he could see through you, see what you were thinking.

You had trouble sleeping that night, possibly from the adrenaline that was starting to saturate your blood, feeling more awake than you had been in a long while, your muscles tense in his bonds- having to consciously make them lax. Sans had done that _thing_ again, where he makes your soul calm down and make you so, _so_ sleepy… If he hadn’t done that, you’d probably stayed up longer than you did.

And just this morning, you were up right after sunrise, the water a bit colder than usual- but with Sans' arms around you like that and pressing to his (somehow) warm body, you were fine... Though it was odd that today, his tentacles weren't wound so tightly around you- in fact, most of them were off you, some of them still around your feet, others floating around you. You looked up at him from your position, seeming to sleep peacefully with you pressed to him... You only breathed, water entering and exiting out of you, just watching the half skeleton sleep. He didn’t look so dangerous when he was sleeping like that. And he looked so calm like that too, his tentacles idle on you. If he had been calmer- maybe, actually approaching you and getting closer to you, without just… _Kidnapping_ you and giving that endless, cold, stare… You wouldn’t mind being with him.

You didn’t want to see him _hurt_, but… You had to go back. He scares you. You had to be back on land- your home. You’d _love_ to live in the sea, but- you couldn’t stay here, not _forever._

You’d turn your head around to look at the entrance of the cave, thinking of the _dry_ sand when you walked on the shore, stepping in the shallows and walking across the beach… The people you’d greet on your daily routine, your house just over the forest that sit ahead of Skull Reef… Sitting on the pier, watching the sun set. Your everyday life, your usual activities looked so much more romantic right now… Right when it’s out of reach.

… At the memory of your frequent visits to the beach, you thought. Sans had always lived here, a ways bit off the shore, far enough that you couldn’t just take a quick swim to reach his cave, but still close enough to the shore that _he’d_ have no problem coming to the beach. He lived close by to the beach you visited everyday… Had… Had he always been there-?

“(y/n)… tell me, what’s wrong…?”

His voiced snapped you out of your thoughts- and you immediately knew that waking up before him after he seemed to be onto you the night before, and now _looking at the entrance of his cave_ was not a good look for you. You wanted to escape, and you _looked_ like you wanted to escape. And he obviously didn’t want that.

“N… Nothing. There’s nothing wrong.”

_ There really isn't... Not from what you were thinking, anyways.. _

It wasn’t a problem… Not to you. But _he_ was a problem… And you were scared. You couldn’t stop yourself from panicking in your mind. You shouldn’t have been so panicked, it wasn’t like he could read your thoughts.

But… The lights that make up his eyes… They always seemed to put you in the spot, made you feel like you were going to be found out.

You tried your best to answer him as truthfully as you could. You _were_ thinking, and it wasn't anything much. But he'd started to put his hands on your face when he could tell you were trying to dodge his questions, avoiding a real answer and trying not to look into those cold lights. You felt yourself wavering, and every time you answered him, there was this... _look_ on his face that told you he was judging everything you said, his eyelights seeming to get sharper and sharper- staring at you more intensely. Not only that, he almost looked... Nervous too, his skull thinking about many things you couldn't tell. And then, you'd notice the twitches in his tentacles as he kept staring at you in the beats of silent that would accompany after your answers and his quiet stares- and then he started throwing his tentacles onto you one by one, sending a chill upwards that had nothing to do with the morning waters.

**“don’t lie to me.”**

The panic had _really_ started to rise in your gut when his face darkened and all you could focus on were those white lights- Intense, _obsessed._

He noticed _everything_\- you didn’t miss the tentacle that had started to wrap around your wrist with its tip pressed a bit into it. When he’d place his hand on your chest and that _feeling_ entering your chest, grabbing to what you’ve recognized as your _soul_ and feeling around it- if you were above water, you’d be breaking into a heavy fit of sweating. You felt he could sense what you were trying to keep away from him, your thoughts, your soul… Violate wasn’t the word you were looking for- but you felt on edge. He told you about how your hope had went up and that he could feel what you were feeling. At that point, you were sure he could tell what was on your mind.

"i know you're thinking about something... _hiding_ something from me, (y/n). **so tell me."**

You knew you couldn’t hide from him any longer. But you also can’t let him know that you’ve been thinking of trying to get back… Your mind raced.

“I-I’ve j-just been thinking…” Your voice shook, trying to give him an honest answer first. “I'm going to be honest... I was looking back because I was thinking of the land..." You held back a whimper from him tightening his grip around you, but you kept trying to answer him. “B-but, I looked back here and looked at you, and, and...”

_What- what can I say to him that won’t end up with him doing… _ ** _Something else?_ **

You shook internally as you searched for something to tell him… When you found it.

“I… I decided... _I want to be with you!”_

You threw your arms around him as best you can, quickly squeezing him as hard as you can- You didn’t want him to see your nervous face, hear the shake in your voice. So you buried your face onto his ribs, hiding it from him while also trying to convince him that you really wanted to be with him. Your heart raced as you clung onto him, masking the shake sin your hands by holding onto him tighter.

Sans didn’t say anything for a moment.

“… _w h a t ?”_

“_you…_ want to be with _me…_ _here?" _His limbs shifted around you almost erratically, and looking at those tiny pinpricks that were previously dilated... Made you falter a bit. "what do you mean?! why?! you hadn't done anything but be stiff at best when i'm around... why did you change all of a sudden?!" You saw him flex his tentacles around a bit, looking almost _mad_ for the first time since you've met him. Your blood froze a bit as you thought of how to answer him.

You felt the stiffness in his bones, in his limbs before he let you go. _You didn’t expect that._ You felt like you might’ve said the wrong thing but… You had to go with it. “I… Want to be with you?”

“…” You were silent for awhile, your mind racing. You didn’t want to say it, you were lying to him. He was scary, you were scared, and you hated that you knew you weren’t saying it truthfully. The lie took a lot from you- but you’ve went with it and you needed this- _It’ll only last awhile, if Red keeps his promise. _You hated saying it too- you didn't want to look like you really were returning the feelings of a monster that kidnapped you into the sea. You took an internal breath before you said it, surprisingly with a less shaky voice.  "It's because of you, Sans."

You had to _force_ the words out of you, and you felt awful saying them. It didn't feel right. “Sans... You... Took me here... From the surface... Kidnapped me..." You said, hands focused on the way his ribs curved on his back to his spine, getting out the true parts first. He kidnapped you and kept you hear, yes. "But, despite that... I have to thank you...Even though you did that, even though from what I know from what I'm told that monsters hates humans... You've never hurt me. I was always scared of that when you took me, but... You never hurt me. You always tried to keep me comfortable and you're just so **nice** and," _He is, but kidnapping you like this..._ "a-and... I just have to thank you. You're so nice that I get so happy whenever I'm near you... I want to be with you, Sans." You managed to finish.

You felt... You felt disgusted with yourself for saying those things. It wasn't his fault- but the fact that you said those things made you feel sick.

…

You didn’t anticipate just how _strongly_ Sans would react to you accepting to be with him. You knew that he had an obsession with you and that he wanted to be with you- but you weren’t ready for it, even when you tried to.

He squeezed you, _hard_, you feel all your breath escape your chest as his tentacles quickly wrapped around you and his hands crushed you, his head over your shoulder, _laughing._ You made a tiny cry- more of a squeak against him as you heard him mutter something you can’t quite hear from all the tentacles that were pressing you to him and some of them brushing against your ear and disturbing the water- and your own lack of breath stopping you from being able to pay attention to anything he said.

Then he pressed your head closer to his, and you heard him ask. _“me. you want to be with me?”_

You kept pushing, but you managed out to answer him- “Ah- y-yes!”

… He didn’t let go immediately, as you kept struggling to get water into you and keep yourself from blacking out from how tight he held you- if he wasn’t bones, he was all muscle- strong, ecto-muscles, and you couldn’t fight against them.

“Ah- Sans! You’re squeezing me too hard- I can’t breathe!” You managed to say to him.

Thankfully, he heard that, and his hold turned lax. He seemed to be _panting_ a bit, as he pulled back to look into your eyes, and that tentacle, came up to your face again… You haven’t gotten used to it sticking to your face like that, feeling the red rings forming under those suckers on your cheek- They never failed to summon a shiver from you, and you didn’t exactly want to get used to the feeling.

_“you mean it, right? you want to stay with me- you want to be with me-“_ He muttered to you, eyelights dilated and full with obsession- you had a very bad feeling about it, and you tried to give him an answer- another thing that was hard to get out of you- but thankfully, he didn’t give you time to answer, only pulling you back to him.

He squeezed you again- but not enough to tighten your chest again and he petted you, and you heard him muttering over “i love you” and “mine”, over and over… You hid your shaking by squeezing him more, knowing it was a good thing from the way he squeezed back, tentacles twisting further.

“you never have to worry, never…” He had petted you. “you’ll always be fine with me…”

He let go of you after, and you felt your hope rise again after the terrifying display of obsession. _If… If you said you’d be ‘his’, would he stop putting you in-_

Your eyes widened when those bars of black bones rose from around you and trapping you in it, looking around them before looking back at Sans. He stood outside the cave, that blue magic coming off of his hands and that off-lax look on his face.

_“if you really meant it, you’d stay…”_ He said, before he left.

…

_No… You didn’t. _And you had a bad feeling in your gut- how would he react when he found out that you hadn’t meant it?

While the whole ordeal had been terrifying to you, you also felt guilt building up inside of you like bile, gnawing on your insides, eating you up. You lied to him. Again, you didn’t want to hurt him- you really didn’t. You tried to argue with yourself- _He kidnapped you. He kept you prisoner. There’s nothing wrong with leaving… Hurting him is just a side effect._

… But you knew he wasn’t going to take it well, at all.

…

Your eyes were hazy as you got stuck in your mind, hoping that Sans wouldn’t be back and that you could get out of here as soon as you can- what would happen if Red didn’t keep his promise? What if Sans came home soon- how are you going to deal with him then? What is he going to do with you when he thinks you’ve accepted him? He said he wanted you as his mate… What did that _really_ mean-

“hey,”

You were jolted back out of your thoughts, looking up at that beautiful shimmering red tail that belonged to the mer-skeleton.

Red.

“sorry for makin’ ya wait, sugar.”

* * *

Red had swam up to Black’s territory ever since dawn. Soul beating in his chest, nervous magic coursing through his bones and making his arms shake a little.

Black wasn’t going to like what was going to happen today.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Red took a moment to lift his skull above the water level to check the time. He knew Black wouldn’t go out of his cave until around morning-noon…

He could kill time by hunting and leaving his catch for his brother but… He was afraid he’ll get distracted. He’d already tell you he’d do it, and he wasn’t going to make you wait for it.

It was simple enough anyways. All he had to do was… Break you out, bring you home. Easy.

But… it was Black he’s talking about. He didn’t know what that skeleton could do- what he’d do. And he found himself restless with his eyesockets unable to close when it was still dark out and his brother not even awoken yet. Something in his soul made him uneasy… He didn't want to be unprepared for the day ahead of him. So he set out early, to the rock by Black’s cave… The one where he always hid behind whenever he the octopus was near him.

He stayed there, his tail swishing back and forth apprehensively, restless. He wanted to go in, see what was happening inside Black’s cave- what was going on with you. He wished Black went out of his cave earlier- even if Red was the same as him, preferring to lounge around on a soft bed of sea sponge before his hunger called him out to hunt. But now, left with the silence of the morning waters, with only the sound of the water gently being disturbed by the swish of his tail, the distant sounds of rolling waves, and the chill of the sea at dawn the only things accompanying him while he stayed still and felt what was akin to adrenaline running through his bones and ecto-flesh- It made his mind wander.

What if Black found him… What if the bones were stronger than he thought… Red is very proud of his predator position- he has very little to worry. So when he does have these thoughts, fear of a certain tentacled skeleton finding him hiding behind this rock and peeking out from behind to watch the mouth of the cave… It wasn’t normal for him, and he didn’t like it.

After what seemed like hours of just staying behind the rock, slowly watching the waters around him turn from a deep blue to slowly turn into a lighter blue as the rays of sun start to enter the water, getting brighter and brighter.

From all the waiting and his high strung mind, Red got a bit sleepy, floating closer to the sand and having trouble keeping his sockets open even if his soul was practically radiating anxiety at this point and having a slight headache from the anticipation… When he heard your voice, desperate and full of panic.

_“I want to be with you!”_

… _what..?_

He shot back up above the rock, hands gripping onto the top. He could hear the cold, dark voice of his counterpart, but he couldn’t make out what, and more quiet murmurs that he couldn’t quite make out.

_What were you saying?!_

Red didn’t understand. He knows you’re trying to get away from the Cecaelia, so you didn’t say that because you actually wanted to be with him… Right? So why did you say that?!

That couldn’t be something good to say to your obsessed captive trying to get you to stay with him.

Red tried to strain his metaphorical ears, leaning closer to the direction of the cave from the tiny voice that came from you coming out of the cave… When-

** _“me. you want to be with me?”_ **

Black wasn’t even shouting- but his eerie voice filled to the brim with obsession seemed to come out of the cave as if he did- clear as the water that surrounded him right now. His tail twitched upon hearing it, wanting to get away from the source.

He could hear you now- crying a bit and getting muffled a couple of times, sounding like you were getting engulfed by those black tendrils again. 

_the hell is goin’ on in there?_

_“Sans! You’re squeezing me too hard- I can’t breathe!”_

_fuck, what is he doin’ to ya?_

He didn’t realize his breath had stilled until the sound of struggling simmered down from inside the chamber, Black going back to quiet little whispers while Red can’t make out your voice anymore. He heard Black say a few things to you, before he saw the guy finally crawl out of the cave- _holy shit, look at those lights…_ He hasn’t seen them dilate to that degree in- ever, really. He saw his hands clasp again, the other glowing a faint blue.

He put you in the cage again- despite what you’ve said to him.

_“if you really meant it, you’d stay…”_ He called to you, before finally moving away.

Red had wanted to just shoot straight into the cave and take you out right then and there, haul you to the beach and go home from there- forget what was going to happen to Black for a moment. But… Black was sharp, and ever since he got you in his wraps, he was more of a wild card than what he used to be before- Red was sure about Black’s tendencies back then but now he doesn’t know what the Cecaelia would do next.

He had to spend a nerve-wracking amount of time trying to tail Black in a way that he wouldn’t realize he’s being followed. So he made zig zag motions, making it seem like he was just whizzing around the water as random fish, changing his positions every now and then and making sure he wasn’t swimming too long out in the open for him to look back and see the red fish tail and the bones above it.

Red took an internal sigh of relief when he saw Black descend down in the Blue Drop, now knowing he was looking for something _big_, something impressive, or something that’ll take time for him to get.

Probably to impress you.

He watched as Black slowly disappeared from his vision, his tentacles matching the dark water around him as he settled somewhere in a place Red couldn’t quite make out.

He waited.

…

……

……..

_he’s going to be gone for awhile…_

He swam as fast as a jet back to Black’s territory, hurtling into the cave, snapping you out of your momentary stupor.

“hey, sorry for makin’ ya wait sugar.” He panted. As he did, he saw how your eyes took his image, and he could see the wave of relief that seemed to have washed over when you did.

He felt… Proud of being able to do that. He didn’t know why but- he’ll take it.

_“Red!”_ You practically beamed at his image, making his soul thump to a different beat. “You came!”

His smile wobbled a bit. _He doesn’t keep promises often enough…_ “heheh, don’t get too excited. i haven’t... _yet_.”

“Wait… what?” You blanked out for a moment, before you turned pink. “I-I didn’t mean that!?” You shouted indignantly at him.

_damn. what a cute lil’ human… kinda a shame she has to leave._

“heheh. i know.” He winked at you. “now, get down sweetheart, don’t wanna get ya hurt…”

You were about to open your mouth to say something, but promptly closed it when you saw the cave lit up a deep red for a moment, a large bat-like red bone manifesting in his hands.

_ok sansy. this ain’t nothin’. this shouldn’t take much… it’s jus’ bone against bone._

“so, this is how i’m gonna break ya outta here lady.” He paused for awhile, gauging your reactions. Wide eyed, and staring at his manifested bone, seemingly impressed. Red felt his pride swell a bit before snuffing it back out. _ya ain’t even break her out ‘a here yet…_ “with brute force. watch yer pretty lil’ head, sweetheart.”

Your eyes opened wider again as he steady himself, pulling the bone behind his back, his red magic flowing through his bone and putting his strength in it. He waited for you, realizing what he was going to do, ducking your head and putting it on the sand, covering with your hands.

Red swung.

You shrieked as he made chop after chop on the bones, feeling his magic draining from him as he used it all to force his bones against Black’s bones. He’d hoped that one swing would be enough to get rid of all of them- but if it’d be that easy, maybe he wouldn’t be as nervous as getting you out of here.

He saw the black bones crack and crack with every swing he took, and finally… with a final swing, his left eyelight burning for only a few seconds- the osseous black bars broke, turning into fine clouds of black after a second of delay.

You took a moment to look around you, apparently shocked at the disappearance of the black bones with only a dark haze in its place before Red unsummoned his bone and swam to you.

“c’mon darlin’, we don’t got much time.” He gestured to you, motioning closer to him. “ya gotta get out _now._”

He could clearly see you were panicking- eyes still wide and darting all over the place before you looked at his hands, then to his face.

“What… What do you want me to do?”

“grab on, sweetheart.” He gestured again, “i’ll be honest i don’t know a whole lot ‘bout you humans, but i know swimming ain’t exactly yer forte.”

You hesitated for a moment… Then you held onto his hand.

…

For a moment… Red was lost.

Your hand was so much smaller in his hand like that… So soft and squishy too. Delicate.

He didn’t realize he’d space out, staring at your hands in his, until you looked back to him. “So… what now, Red?”

He looked at you and shook his head as if to get rid of the thought. He didn’t even know where it came from… Maybe because he’s just… never held a human. Not for that long anyway.

“right, sweetheart.” You made a little squeak when he pulled you closer, picked you up and held you close to his chest- suddenly noticing your warmth and your heartbeats, racing against his exposed ribcage. He ignored the sudden heat that’d risen to his face at that moment- he had to get you out. “black- i mean, sans lives pretty close to the shore, but it ain’t that short ofa trip.”

He brought you to outside the cave, and then moved you around so you were closer to his back.

“keep a tight hold ya hear me? don’t wanna get ya dragged by the current now.”

You did as he told, circling around his neck and resting on him a bit.

_“tighter.”_ He growled lecherously, teasingly.

“W-What!” He couldn’t see your face, but he could see it in his mind’s eye going a shade of red again.

“heheh, just kiddin’ darlin’- but i ain’t kiddin’ ya, make sure yer secured up there.”

As soon as you fixed your hold on him, Red dashed.

Red’s sure theres no real hurry at this time- he’d checked that Black was going to be away for awhile and that he’ll have plenty of time to bring you home, but he wasn’t going to just go out a leisurely pace to send you off. At the memory of the Cecaelia, Red dropped a metaphorical sweat and kicked his tail harder, zooming through the coastal shallows and leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

He swam up a bit after awhile, taking a breath of air, as you did the same.

“… It’s- It’s been awhile since I breathed air,” You said in between gasps, looking around above him.

The shore was just a little distant away.

“i guess tentacles didn’t give ya much of a _breather_ didn’t he?”

“No- … Did you just?”

“ignore that, the beach is just there,” Red breathed as he ducked back under the water. He swam faster that way.

In the distance Red swam to the shore… He realized just how _big_ Black’s territory was. Black had a tight grip on the shore of Skull reef, specifically near that little pier Red used to see when he still went by Black’s place in the past but… His cave was quite a distance to it, even if by sea-dwelling monsters’ standards he was living near the coast.

There was a little reef near the shore, and Red was ecstatic to reach that part, the _shallow_ shallows.

“almost there, lady. ya can practically see the-“ He said, going to the surface- before he broke into a complete stop as his skull rose above the water, eyesockets going wide.

“R-Red, what’s wrong?” You asked, trying to go around his comparatively larger skull.

Out there, on the sand, with black tendrils sifting gently on them…

_Was Black._

He was looking around at the forest ahead of him, scanning. Red was lucky he wasn’t _that_ close to the shore yet, where his tail could touch the shallows. But he was close enough that if Black were to turn around right then… He would _absolutely_ see him.

And _you._

_fuck- what the hell is he doin’ there?!_ He cursed as he ducked more into the water, keeping both your heads up- now floating vertically with you piggybacking on him.

You seemed to see him too, because while you didn’t say a thing- your breathing got shakier as you watched the cecaelia shift around on the sand, seemingly without reason as to why he’d be there.

Red backed up slowly, his mind forming another plan quickly. _that’s no problem. we’ll… we’ll just go around him._ It sounded reasonably easy…

But Black turned his head a bit- Red seeing the edges of his socket.

_shit!_

He fully submerged the both of you underwater, Black turning into a… Well, black, wavy figure above the water.

He saw him turn around fully to the water, with this… Look on his face. Somber, almost.

His sockets were lax, his teeth almost set in a frown, his eyelights hazy. What was he thinking about..?

Red swam backwards, slowly, almost in a snail-like pace, backing away from the Cecaelia. _what the hell is he doin’ here…_

“ok, let’s try swimmin’ around him…” He whispered to you, intending to do just that…

When Black jerked his head to the side, his eyelights shrinking into the size of a prick, darting over the top of the water.

Red clenched his jaw, darting back nearer towards the bottom of the shallows, trying to avoid those white lights. If he sees someone his size this close to the coast… He’ll know something’s up.

He kept close to the scattered coral and large seaweeds, waiting if Black was going to do anything…

And he stepped into the water.

Red’s hands automatically flung to your back, keeping you close to him as the both of you held your breaths, Black moving erratically in the water, eyelights still darting here and there.

_ok, this is bad. really bad, but- we should be ok-_

Red got a shiver up his exposed spine, with you following soon after, making you hug onto his neck more and… Something in his soul making him feel… Protective- Holding you closer to him and almost shielding you from Black.

A blue sort of aura was spreading in the water like ink as Black stepped in, scanning the waters- something Red quickly recognized as territorial magic spreading in the water. Black was being defensive… He saw the blue spread around, slightly surrounding them and approaching the both of you as Black progressed through the water with that dark face on him.

Red swam around aimlessly- trying to go to the left and the right, thinking of looping Black’s barrier- But every time he tried to get a way to get closer to the shore, he'd get caught in Black's field of vision, and getting caught was worse than not finding a way to go to land.

The more he thought, the closer Black's magic came nearer, pushing him and you further away from the shore. He couldn't get into that field of magic... Black'd notice him if he did.

Red panted as Black made him 'jump' from rock to seaweed to coral, fixing his grip on you. He saw Black finally stopping on a spot, but his eyelights were scanning his surroundings, suspicious, untrusting. He looked back to you, red lights apologetic. “i… i’m sorry sweetheart but-“ He made a dart backwards when Black shot his magic forwards, moving erratically, those tiny white lights looking around for _something_… “i’ll bring ya home first, and i’ll send ya back here first thing tomorrow mornin’, ok?”

“Huh?” You gripped tighter onto him, trying hard to keep your voice down. He could feel your panicked heart pumping on his spine, and he wished he could’ve sent you _now. _"O-oh, what's going on?"

“black’s scouring his territory and it ain’t lookin’ good darlin’. if i try goin’ round him now he’ll see me and while i think i can out swim ‘im- he’s not going to give me that option if he does see me.”

Red turned around.

“…” You looked behind, looking at the shore that was _right_ _there_, and the half skeleton, half octopus that were nearing you every second.

... _You think you can trust Red for now. You didn't want to get near Black if you could help it- and he said he'd send you home tomorrow. It wasn't too long of a wait, especially with someone you trusted. _“… Ok.”

Red kicked his tail, darting in the water and away from the progressing blue magic, whizzing past the shallows and not looking back to where Black was- you could feel his strength in every swish of his tail in the water, strong and firm and able to propel the both of you in speeds you never really thought a living thing could go in. You knew they could be fast but… Actually being on the back of a mer-skeleton and feeling the water flow past you, feeling its resistance and his tail continuing to kick behind you… It was something.

Red had finally reached the slope that marked the end of the shallows, finally swimming downwards and on a course for his home, where he knew Black couldn’t really visit from his status as a solitary being and with Red knowing many of those that neighbored with him.

_i’m sorry sweetheart, i swear this’ll be quick… yer gonna be home soon, i promise…_ He thought in his mind as one hand kept him balanced and the other rested on your back, making sure you’re not going to fall off him any time soon, feeling his soul pump in anxiety at the close call that happened just off the shore.

* * *

...

Black stood in front of his cave, his sockets devoid of light.

_His cave was empty._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO- HERE YOU GO- SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!!!  
Anyways- I got a BUNCH of Fanart from the delay ;w;
> 
> https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188163520715/shibe-inu-youre-mine-uh-oh-here - Shibe Inu  
https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188169811745/i-promised-in-my-first-ask-that-id-make-fan-art - Arrus-BT  
https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188206156180/captaindeadmaster-black-from-the-fic-the - Captaindeadmaster  
https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188210763860/sorry-for-kinda-spamming-u-i-just-love-you-and - arrus-bt  
https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188338619855/ahhh-yes-this-is-adorable-look-at-black-all - arrus-bt


	7. alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lonely, empty cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhhhellllloooooo! So.. yeah... I haven't updated this fic.... In a long time...  
I was caught in a really bad inspiration/writer's block and I just didn't enjoy anything that I wrote on this chapter at first. I rewrote it twice, and I still didn't like what I made, so I put it off for literal months, and came back to it just recently. I've learnt things and have heard advice since then, and I'm happy to say writing it a third time was smooth sailing (pun unintended but I'll take the credit). I had fun writing this chapter, which is such a relief after being unhappy with it for so long. So, just so you know- I don't plan on dropping this fic, just hit a bump and decided to work on other fics with smaller bumps, is all. Now enough of my ramblings- I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and I hope it's worth the wait -u-
> 
> also TW: Death. It's not very descriptive, but it's not a very nice death either. And also... More violence.

It’s a beautiful day for coming to the beach, to the seas. The sun wasn't shining down too harshly on the people lounging on those long chairs under their umbrellas. Their kids were splashing around in the shallow waters, the sun making it so that it was pleasantly cool rather than a shocking cold to those that went into it.

And if you go further from the beach, into the sea, everything was also pleasant there. There were sea turtles, gently bobbing with the waves, taking a breath before it dived down to eat some of the sea sponge growing from the sandy bottom. Fish were swimming about, moving to who knows where, away from the shallows. There were sea birds overhead, occasionally making chirps and squawks as they floated above the sea, glinting an emerald blue.

A pleasant day.

… And Sans was sitting there in the sand, the prey he caught earlier floating away from him, forgotten, as he stared into his empty home.

_You… You were gone._

The pleasant day above him felt like it was mocking him. Showing how great it would be if you were with him right now, while everyone was enjoying their day, he had to feel this _loss._ How could everyone be so _happy_ and _nice_ when he’s here, a shock hitting him like a harsh slap on the skull, until he was numb.

Sans couldn’t feel himself anymore. His tentacles had gone still, his hands falling from his sides. It feels like the anchor that’s been keeping his soul in his body had disappeared along with you, and now he feels as if he’s floating, his body weightless. He can’t feel himself, it’s like he’s lost control of his movements, feeling a sensation lighter than water but still heavier than air. An out of body experience. He doesn't feel the sand under him, he doesn't feel his own bones. He can only hear the distant crashing of waves above and the sound of water burbling around him, but distant, like he was somewhere else.

His hand unclenches, and a small black sphere lays precariously in between his phalanges, almost falling out of his hand.

A black pearl.

A gift he had wanted to give to you, something that he’s been preparing for the year he’s been waiting for his chance to take you _home_. It would’ve been his gift to you, a mate’s gift- now that you’ve finally accepted to be his. It would be similar to what rings are to some of the humans on land- though Sans himself doesn't even know that tradition existed with humans.

It was around the time when he first met you that he found it, forming in an oyster in the Blue Drop. He was there, hunting, his mind unable to stop thinking about you, distracting him from his hunt as he swam around the more dangerous waters. He eventually got close to the slope, and found a group of oysters growing there. He was supposed to be hunting for food, but during that time, he could only think of looking something that could give him the same emotion he had when he first met you… Something that was beautiful, something to remind you by since he can’t come onto land and be with you himself. As he got more and more distracted from his original hunt, he eventually found an oyster, opened, a small, black pearl starting to form inside of it. Sans knew then, as his mind locked in on the thought of having you as his mate… That will be his mating gift to you.

He had kept it safe and went to check on it every now and then as it grew bigger and bigger, as he prepared for your _stay_. And when you told him that you were happy- _excited_ to finally be his, he immediately went there to get it, and got the biggest fish he could find so he could celebrate.

Now… It seems meaningless. The pearl only hasn't fallen out of his hand because his phalanges weren’t open enough to have it fall out.

All this time, waiting and biding his time… For nothing.

Sans starts to feel himself again as he reels back from his initial shock, but it’s anything but pleasant. As he starts to breathe again, leaning a bit forward to see again that you’re in fact _not there_, he starts to gasp, panting, like the water has turned to thick goo and he has trouble breathing it in. His chest feels like it’s on _fire_, the fact that he’s surrounded by cool water ignored by him as it starts to dawn on him what he’s lost. It was _painful_, and Sans starts to sob, his eyesockets starting to fill with magic, coming off as tears.

His tears, made of magic, starts floating away from his sockets, globs looking like bubbles drifting away until it finally mixed back in with the waters. A blue deeper than the water surrounding him, Sans can see his own tears drift away from him, and the sight of it sends him spiraling deeper, his grief becoming apparent. He claws at his chest, gripping and clenching his fists around his ribs, his sternum, as it feels like the source of his pain was from within- from his soul.

His sweet, dear (Y/n)… Other than his grief, his mind raced, looping over and over like a broken record in his skull _how did this happen?_ Something must’ve taken you away… You had been waiting patiently, you had waited for _him_, and _something_ got to you. There was no other way, you couldn't even run away from him if you wanted to.

He should’ve stayed longer. Why did he leave you?

_why did he leave why did he leave why did he leave-_

It’s not fair. You just accepted to be his. He was going to make you happy. You were going to make him _happier_. He would love you and cherish you, and give you the best life, a life you deserved.

Of course life had to take you away from him as soon as he had you. It had never been fair to him. 

Now Sans just feels… Alone. So alone. The pain just wouldn’t go away- Sans doesn’t know if it was better to have stayed numb like before. It ate him up from the inside, and he just kept weeping. The water turned bluer as his sorrowful magic kept leaking out of him, his tentacles writhing as if he was in physical pain, curling up closer to himself, twisting over each other as if it’d chase the feeling away.

_This couldn’t be happening. You can’t be gone, you can’t be gone…_ He doesn’t want to go back to his lonely, painful existence. He’s been alone for so long.

The loss he feels…. It’s been a long time since he’s felt loss like this, and he thought he would never have to go through something like this again. He never wanted to go through something like this again.

Because it wasn’t the first time he was left alone.

… Sans had a brother, once.

Papyrus. A cecaelia with red-orange tentacles, a color that represented what he was in Sans' lie, a ray of sun. One of the monsters that kept Sans from being what he is today, a solitary, hostile monster.

Sans remembers when he still lived in the reefs with his brother, many, many years ago. When Skull Reef was still called _Rainbow Reef,_ when humans haven’t found out about the nature of monsters and the fact that many of them lived there. When it was still a quite coast, and wasn't on people's radars at the time. Sans and his brother lived in the crevices of the reef, and everyday, Papyrus would go out early in the morning to explore, hunt, and his favorite thing to do, to meet other monsters.

Cecaelias were like their animal counterparts. They weren't social monsters, preferred to live alone and far away from others, and interact as little as they can manage. But Papyrus was never one to let something as simple as _natural inclinations_ get in the way of what he enjoyed doing. It's like he never had the trait in the first place. Papyrus never hesitated to greet any other monsters that lived nearby on the reef, or even just passing monsters who had stopped by the reef for a rest before going back out to open waters.

… Sans remembers that Papyrus had wondered what it's like to brave the open waters and explore the seas like them. But he's always been attached to the reed community he's become so fond of and didn't want to leave them just to sate his curiosity… A caring soul that never wanted to leave anyone behind.

They lived peaceful lives. Sans let Papyrus do most of the talking and going around. Sans on the other hand stayed close to home, only helping with collecting food, and would chat with monsters his brother had made friends with, if they happened to be nearby him.

… He used to strike up conversations so easily. He used to be calm all the time.

Then again, the color of his magic and his tentacles used to be blue too.

Life went well. Nothing much changed, but the stability was welcoming to Sans, something he took for granted back then.

It was when humans started to appear that everything seemed to go downhill.

More and more humans started to move to the coast where the then-named Rainbow Reef sat in. On the coast to the north from the reef, the beaches, though mostly empty other than the few seaweeds rocks and stray corals, were pristine and perfect as a tourism spot, and a lot of people saw opportunities. And rainbow reef, it’s natural beauty, the green, lush foliage that sat just behind the beach with the view to the waters- one of the things that drew _you_ to Sans’ shore- was attracting attention, and people got interested.

Rainbow Reef was named that way because of its especially vibrantly-colored corals of every variety. With it untouched by human influence it was thriving. And with the added presence of monsters that tended to it like a garden and the magic-infused water that surrounded them, the corals were healthy and booming, and it attracted attention of people who went on boats and even occasionally dived into it.

Monsters would hide from them back then, having little human interaction before, watching, observing. They weren’t completely clueless as to what humans are- it was why they hid in the first place.

Papyrus didn’t understand why they were hiding. And as more and more boats start to come through the waters above them, with the propelled ones making a ruckus every time they passed by, Papyrus became fascinated by them, and was curious about humans.

Sans had been reluctant. He’s heard about humans from other monsters, and being the older brother and having known more of the stories monsters had to tell, humans were, well… Humans weren’t the best kind of creatures. Sans knew they weren’t _all_ bad, but the fact that they had a reputation of being unkind to new and unknown things, Sans really didn't want Papyrus to get close to them unless Sans knew more about the humans that started to populate the land nearest to them.

But Papyrus had been determined and persistent, and just seeing their technology, as they sailed past above their waters, Papyrus had so often followed them to get a peek the humans that boarded and drove them, amazed at their capabilities. Papyrus’ will to meet them only became stronger and stronger the more they passed by. And after Papyrus nagging him for so long Sans finally relents one day, having heard more and more arguments coming from his brother. He knew Papyrus wouldn't stop no matter how long Sans told him not to. He thought, maybe it would be fine to meet them, and at least Sans wants to know more about the humans too. Back then, Sans believed not all humans have to be bad… Who knows, there’s a chance they might actually turn up to be good, and if not, Sans would be there to protect his brother.

\----

One day, Papyrus and Sans set out for some ‘human-hunting’, swimming a bit ways from the reef, searching for any boats coming by that wasn’t too big or sailing too fast. Something Papyrus would be able to approach slowly, calmly.

And one eventually comes. It’s a medium-sized propelled boat, with maybe around six people on it. They seem to be on a fishing trip, if the fishing rods and cooler boxes onboard was anything to go by. And Sans could tell they were only there for pleasure rather than business, guessing from the way they dressed- their sun hats, dresses, shirts, shorts, caps and sunglasses, prepared for a sunny day as their boat slows to a halt, apparently thinking this was a good place to stop. Perfect for Papyrus to approach. Papyrus had signaled to Sans then, and eagerly bobbed up to them while Sans stayed in the water. He was only going to come out with him once Papyrus has proven that they were good people, or if he sensed something was going to go wrong. Sans would then step in to keep his brother safe. Papyrus had told Sans he didn't want to surprise the humans, since it would be the first time seeing a monster- having two would be even more of a surprise to them, so Sans had stayed behind.

Papyrus had greeted them cheerfully, his prideful, optimistic personality bursting out in the Papyrus fashion. They had been surprised to see him but not shocked- just dumbstruck by his sudden appearance and his apparent monster-ness. He could see they were nervous and unsure about the appearance of his brother, and Sans was just as nervous as to what their next reaction would be.

Papyrus had spoke to them how he wasn’t there to harm them and that he’s come peacefully. Playfully teasing them that they must be surprised to see such a handsome skeleton cecaelia appear before them. He told them how he just wanted to get to know them, and extended a metaphorical hand to them, to let them trust him first. They had been reluctant as Sans had, but they weren’t showing any signs of hostility or resentment, just caution. They spoke amongst themselves for awhile, like a team huddle, probably deciding whether or not to trust his brother.

When Sans thinks about it now… He feels like what an insult it was that they were so afraid of his brother, considering.

Papyrus had been patient. Sans didn’t suspect a thing.

Someone was leaning against the propeller control. They tripped. 

It was too fast. One moment Sans was watching his brother in front of the boat, the next, the boat suddenly lurched forwards while Papyrus was still near it.

**_“papyrus!”_** Sans had screamed then, but it was too late. The boat had already moved, and since the humans were around the back of the boat and so too was Papyrus… His tentacles got caught in the propellers. He got tangled in them, mangled, and Papyrus only managed a final smile to Sans.

_"I'M... SORRY, SANS." _an apology and a farewell, and he was dust the next second.

Sans, like he did far in the future when he thought he lost you, instantly felt numb. Watching the dust of his brother, just mere seconds ago alive, well, and happy, dispersing in the water, slowly dissolving into the sea. Sans couldn’t feel, and slowly, he turned to the boat. His body went on auto-pilot, no longer controlled by his mind, only by emotion. He swam out of the water, rising out of it, looking at the _brother-killers_ on the boat, talking amongst themselves. Sans couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their words quickly turned into screams as Sans jumped onto the boat.

Sans doesn’t even remembered what happened, what he did. Just sensations, images in his mind. He first saw white, then an instant later, **red.** The boat rocked and the waters disturbed, waves hitting the side of the boat harshly as Sans couldn't think, just a blur of memories. A rain of bones, a throat in his hand, a tentacle wrapped around a chest. When he stopped, the fog of anger and retribution clearing from his mind, he was on a bloodied boat. The humans all laying dead and stabbed with bones, some of them without any- _must've broken them myself_, Sans guessed, indifferent to the scene in front of him except for a feeling of satisfaction somewhere inside of him. But it didn't last long. His mind unable to fully grasp what had happened, staring at the dead bodies while the boat bobbed uselessly atop the waters, alone.

And now, Sans finds himself in the same place. He turns his hands into fists, the black pearl back securely in his hands as he wonders _what happened to you._ He wasn’t even _here_ to witness what happened this time. He’s still heaving, trying to keep water inside of him as he finally enters the cave, finally having the will to move again, though the empty hole you left in him now feels even more bitter now as he remembers his old loss.

He enters the cave, now feeling so cold without you in it. So empty, agonizingly empty.

_how_…

How could anyone get past his bones and get to you? How did anyone- _anything_ found you and killed you? It was the first thought that came to his mind. Life has been cruel to him ever since he lost his brother. He didn't think of any other possibility- he thinks you're dead, taken away by some unknown predator.

He slumps onto the sand of his cave, the tears not stopping as he sinks his hands into the sand, feeling it, fisting in it as he agonizes- _how?!_ How did this happen?! How could you die…

The thought of you, lifeless and limp, brings another searing pain across his chest, and he starts gasping for breath again, his fists tightening while he screws his sockets shut, taking a deep gulp of water to somehow lift the agony that was inside

… _wait..._

Sans stills. He starts to feel... Confused. The water he just breathed in... It smells clean.

He takes another breath, his eyelights, previously wobbly and fuzzy, refocuses again, as he starts to pay attention to what he's smelling, taking more breaths of water.

.... There's no blood.

_what?_

Sans' thoughts starts to form into something coherent again, his tears only pooling in his eyesockets, his eyelights dilating as he realizes this fact.

_ There's no blood. _

If a predator or whatever else got to you and killed you… There should’ve been blood in the water. Even if you died of venom… There should’ve been at least an _ounce_ of your blood in the water, and Sans would be able to pick it up, his senses sharp for hunting. But… There was none. You weren’t harmed, and only now Sans starts to realize that being killed by some creature of the sea isn't the only reason you could've disappeared from his home. But then… How? Why? Why were the bones broken without you getting hurt? You couldn’t have broken them, you would've tried when you were still... _Resistant_ to him.

Sans smells the water again, and his eyelights shrink when he notices something else… He doesn’t smell your blood, but he DOES smell something different in the water. His hands, still sunk in the sands, starts to shift, and he picks a pile of sand out of it with his right, his black pearl still in his left, sifting away the sand, feeling it between his phalanges. He lets the sand run down, seeing the soft dust of his black bones come off his phalanges, when he finally recognizes the scent, evidence of it on the black particles, glowing faintly when Sans takes a closer look.

His tears immediately stops, and Sans feels his rage spiking when he realizes what- _who_ the scent belongs to.

Magic.

_Red’s_ magic.

_Red._ The mer-skeleton that now lives in the reef Sans used to live in with his brother. The monster he and Papyrus had helped move into when it was still called Rainbow Reef.

He was there when Papyrus died.

Sans was still on the boat, only able to look at the dead humans on board, his mind still blank, not knowing what to think, when he heard his voice come from outside the boat.

_“blue!”_ the merskeleton had called to him by his nickname, loud with a hint of alarm in his voice. Sans could hear again, as if whatever it is that caused it had left his skull. He could hear again the sounds of the waves lapping against the boat, the sound of birds gathering above. The metallic tang of blood in the air. Sans finally turned away from the bodies, and looked to the sea, at the fish-tailed skeleton, swimming towards the boat. He came to a complete stop a bit further from the boat, looking shocked at the red-stained boat.

Sans didn’t greet back. Red was there with Sans earlier, he remembers asking the merskeleton to keep tabs on him and Papyrus, as back up. Sans didn’t want to show how wary he was to Papyrus, so Red had been swimming from afar, and only asked him to come help in case a hostile encounter started. He owes Papyrus, and he wanted to help. He must’ve come there when he heard the screaming.

_“what… what the fuck happened?”_ Sans could see it in his sockets, in his voice. Red was in shock to what he saw, the strong scent of fresh blood. It had started to make Sans hungry. If Sans wasn’t so withdrawn from reality, he would’ve seen the look of anger starting to form in Red.

_“… papyrus ’s gone.”_ Sans had said, quietly. More to himself rather than to Red. Sans didn’t want to believe it. Didn’t want to let it sink into his mind, his soul, to accept the fact that he just lost his brother.

He wasn't ready.

_“what?!”_ Red shouted, and even Sans had started to hear the increasing agitation from the monster during his moment of deep, disbelieving confusion. Red's voice starts to make Sans return to reality, and he finally focuses his vision on Red. Red’s eyelights were still taking in the scene before him, but as his eyelights scan to Sans, a look of even more surprise takes over his face. His eyelights flick down, and he actually flinches backwards at what he saw._“blue… yer magic, it’s…. black.”_

Sans was confused, and he looks down to see… Oh. His tentacles had changed colors from blue to black, though in his apathy he silently notes it's more of a navy blue. Sand doesn’t even know how that happened, but his thoughts are immediately interrupted when Red’s voice suddenly booms back into his consciousness, and he hears the anger and outrage in his voice.

_“… what the _**_fuck_**_ did you _**_do_**_, blue?!”_ Red yells, and as Sans looks at his face, he sees a burning rage forming behind his eyelights.

Sans didn't understand. _is it not obvious enough?_ “… i killed them. the humans.” Sans answers, and Sans really doesn’t know why Red looked so _shocked_ to hear it come out of his mouth. There was no use hiding it. And Sans doesn’t think those humans deserved to live anyways.

_“why the fuck- why did’ja kill them?!”_ Red yells, and he hears _disgust_ in his voice. Sans snaps back into reality, and an equal amount of rage started to form in him the longer he looked at Red’s outraged face. Why was _he_ so _angry?!_ Sans' the one who just lost his brother, and here Red was focusing on the deaths of the _humans?!_

_“why are you asking about that?”_ Sans finally progresses closer to the boat’s edge, looking down on Red. _“papyrus just **died**, red. they **killed** him. why are you asking about the humans?!”_

“blue, are ya even listenin’ to yerself?” Red’s voice came from his chest load and shaking the air around them. “ya just killed a boat full of _innocent_ people!”

… _innocent?_

_“**red.**”_ Sans was really starting to lose his temper as he starts to feel more of his body, his soul coming back to _now_, the void in his chest now filling up with rage. _“they. **killed**. my. brother. they **deserved** to die.”_ Sans says slowly, as he feels if he talked quicker he’s going to lose control of his magic welling up in him again. They could both smell it in the air, magic fighting for dominance.

Red’s expression changed, his anger turned into horror for a second, his eyelights shrinking. For a moment, he backs up a bit, as he seems to reconsider. But when he speaks again, it does nothing to defuse Sans' anger.

“blue. it was an accident.” Red says slowly, and that word alone makes Sans’ eyelights turn blue for a milisecond. “you _saw_ what happened- that guy tripped. they didn’t mean to do it-“

_“how could you say it was an _**_accident?! _**_you didn't even know what happened here!__”_ Sans starts yelling, climbing over the gunwale of the boat, crawling down it to stare Red down. _“don’t you even **care** about papyrus? he’s the one that defended you from the monsters when you first came here with spines. that king crab asgore tried to kick you out of the reef- and papyrus was there to fight for you, you ungrateful little eel!”_

This makes Red move forward again, his upper body fully rising out of the waters as Sans realizes he’s trying to make himself look bigger, as that spark of rage starts again in his sockets.

_“of course i care about him. you and anemone's been there t’ help me and pap- spines. but-“_ Red sucks in a breath as he grits his teeth, snarling._ “don’t ya realize what ya did? think, **blue! **the humans didn’t fuckin’ plot to kill yer brother, use that skull o’ yers- it was an ACCIDENT!” _He yells, and Sans smells the magic starting to come out of him.

_ “can ya imagine how upset papyrus would be if he saw ya killing all those humans?" _

That.

That made Sans snap a second time that day, all his control and respect for Red as a friend swept away by his anger and a sense of betrayal in his chest.

** _how _ _dare_ _ he use papyrus against me?_ **

Sans moved like lightening, finally moving into the water to close some distance between him and Red, and threw a bone attack at him, hitting his skull. Red had reacted in the last second, obviously not preparing for Sans to attack him, moving to the side, but he was too late. and the bone struck him on the cheekbone as he turned, and Red sinks deeper into the water, his tail kicking back as he gasped, cupping his skull and registering what just happened.

For one moment, Sans reconsiders. In his hand is another bone, readied to be thrown at Red, but he hesitates. Thinking again… What is he trying to do, attacking Red like this?

His thoughts are cut short when he realizes Red is already only a few feet in front of him, a thick bone in his hands, swinging to hit him. It strikes Sans in his ribcage, and Sans is knocked back against the boat, only his tentacles cushioning his crash. In that moment, Sans let go of his restraint, and he immediately forms a flurry of bones, ready to shoot at Red as both of their sockets start to glow with magic, and they start to fight for their lives.

Sans doesn’t remember how long the fight lasted, only remembered the strain on his magic- one that he already used while on the boat, but he didn't care. He threw bone after bone, dodged Red's, got hit on the skull, the ribs, some digging into his tentacles. Sans has lost all his logic in that fight, and the longer it went he started forgetting about dodging and defending himself, instead going all out, giving in to his emotions. The waters were practically thick with their respective magic, one side blue, one side red, like wisps in the ocean.

They fought long and hard, and Sans could barely register the pain that Red inflicted on him. In the end, Sans managed to hit him square on the side of his skull, and Red knocks himself out cold when the back of his skull hits a rock from the force Sans put on him, falling unconscious and laying in the sand.

Sans moved down, swiftly, summoning a bone, and it was only mere inches from Red’s face when Sans stopped the swing of his attack.

He knew, right there right then, Sans had intended to kill him. But as he saw him laying unconscious, a crack forming on his face from the impact of his attack, Red’s golden tooth looking almost dull as Sans realized then that the sun had set and they had been fighting until dusk came… Sans had second thoughts.

Red still had his brother. And while Sans feels like he doesn’t care for the skeleton in front of him anymore… He can’t help but think of his brother, Spines, who was still living in the reef, not realizing what had happened here. He didn’t do anything, didn’t even know that they've all gone out to search for humans… He would have to go through the same thing Sans did if he found his brother dusted. And by Sans' hands, too. Sans and Papyrus had helped them move in to Rainbow Reef, and though Spine's personality was like his nickname, sharp and edgy, he had been trusting towards them, and had tried to repay them countless times . Sans didn’t want to make him go through... _This._

So, pulling in all the self-restraint he has, the sharp bone shaking in front Red’s face as Sans holds his urge to crush his skull, eventually disappears, and Sans retracts his hand. He backs away from the unconscious merskeleton, and turns away, not once looking back. Right then and there, Sans moved away from the reef, eventually finding his way to the cave he now stands in, while he remembers the monster that had betrayed his trust and respact.

Red.

The monster that gave him his new nickname: Black. An awful reminder of what happened today, of what changed Sans into what he is today. Like his magic, changing from blue to black- only his eyelight stayed blue whenever it sparked with magic. It showed in his attacks, his tentacles- the change in his soul apparent, visible. And though Sans hates the reminder... Sans admits it, takes it as his own. He _did_ change, no longer the cecaelia he once was.

Red.  Of course, you weren’t dead. You had just been taken away by the merskeleton- _stolen_ from him. The monster traitor to him and his brother, the one who broke his trust when he fought back during Sans’ moment of hesitation, the one who lost his respect when he dared to use his brother against him in the argument. The red, pathetic _eel_ had found out about you, and of course he must’ve taken a liking to you. You were so perfect and beautiful… A monster as pitiful like that must’ve known he’d never been able to find a mate like you, ever _deserve_ someone like you, and had taken you away from Sans, because he would’ve never be able to have you any other way. The cowardly fish had been around to spy on him, Sans should’ve known that he’d find out about you eventually and take you away from him.

Sans holds onto his pearl, not letting it slip out of his phalanges, and pushes himself off the sand, standing up straight in his cave as he looks back to where he used to sleep in with you. His eyelights snuff out of his sockets and the water turns darker and darker as Sans’ magic takes over like ink, his previous sorrowful, grieving magic turning into deep-rooted hatred and anger, his eyelights lighting back up in an intense white as he feels his resolve.

He's going to _t a k e y o u b a c k._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW notes: Sans had a Papyrus who died, and Sans killed the people who caused it.
> 
> WooOO that was a doozy to write.
> 
> Also because all the, *ahem* time jump, I've got some more fanart to share! (if you're reading this, I'm sorry it took this long to show them ;v;)
> 
> [Sans (Black) taking reader on a pleasant swim...](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/190075098035/tiredassmotherfucker-broooo-she-boutta-fucking) by [tiredassmotherfucker](https://tiredassmotherfucker.tumblr.com/)
> 
> and
> 
> [A really cool double-sided Sans with his darling](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/190617624915/translation-i-love-you-darling-3-am-doodles) by noteasymoon


	8. Skull Reef

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You reach Skull Reef.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *spins in chair* Hello! Been getting busy balancing things out, but I'm back with some Underwater-Lurking_Danger :D
> 
> It's a bit of a slower chapter... But you finally reach the reef, and hey would you look at that, there's someone else there ;0
> 
> It's time to get to know more about red, heheheheheh >:3

You can’t help staring back as you felt the water rush all around you like a gust of heavy wind, the coast receding from you as Red brought you further and further from it. You stared ahead as you went deeper into the big blue.

You were a distance away from the surface now, as you progressed, the sea around you got bluer- from a marine aqua to navy blue. The sandy seafloor had slowly plunged deeper as Red swam, and it was far enough from you that it looked like there were blue-tinted glasses over your eyes when you looked down.

The land-dwelling part of your instincts started kicking in and your heart thumped faster, being so far away from everything you’re familiar with. You know you’re underwater and that you’re able to breathe- but being so far from the surface had this tightening effect in your chest that had your mind running with the need to get  _ air _ , and the far seafloor gave the impression that you were flying, and that you should  _ not _ fall.

It made you hold on tighter to the merskeleton, thankful he was the one doing the swimming.

For a short while, there wasn’t much to see. seaweeds, a few spots of coral here and there… But the further you got, the more sea life started to appear around you.

A sea turtle gently bobbed its fins, curving away as you whizzed by it. A school of fish quickly scattered when Red approached. The other fish you swam by seemed to act the same- even bigger fish quickly turned and sped away when you got closer to them.

Then… You saw it.

A sprawling coral reef slowly came into view, looking as big as a city. It was more colorful and more vibrant than you’d imagine it. Towering pillars, colors branching out here and there, stacking over one another. It was more diverse than you’ve seen from other coral reefs, and the fish swimming about resembled busy streets while the coral looked like looming buildings. Some of them were even in the shape of houses, with window and door-like holes. None of the corals looked bleached, and you didn’t see any signs of pollution drifting about.

A smile broke onto your face as you saw the rainbow of colors, not only from the corals but from the fish and other creatures that resided there.

And… You started to see monsters.

Near the bottom of the climbing coral, you saw a giant clam, bigger than  _ actual _ giant clams (It was bigger than you!). Slowly, it opened up, and you awed as you see from within, a humanoid figure emerged, their body below the torso fusing into the shell, watching passing fish intently.

Further above, a frogfish looking monster was crawling about, moving slowly as it stepped around the corals, on the way bumping into a monster whose bottom half was a lobster while the top half was reptilian.

You couldn’t help but lean closer, bending a bit so you could see over Red’s shoulder blades. You’ve never seen other monsters before! You’ve only heard stories about them, and the only monsters you  _ had _ met were Sans and Red.

You almost leaned far enough that your head was poking above him when you felt Red’s steadying hand nudge you in the slightest, his grip tightening.

“hold on tighter.” He said in a low voice, and when you looked at his face there was a look of concentration and almost  _ worry _ as he scanned the coral below him. “stay hidden.

The threat that monsters posed to humans immediately came back to mind- remembering that most monsters are predatory, and the fact that they didn’t mind preying on humans when the chance arose. You flinched when the clam monster shot out of its shell when a substantially-sized fish got too close, its thrashing doing nothing as the monster’s grip was iron on it, pulling it back into the recesses of its shell, slowly closing. The frogfish and the lobster monster started fighting, for what reason you’re not sure, but the water started crackling with magic as they battled.

You realize that Red was slowly nearing the surface again as you had a bird’s view of the reef, eventually breaking the water. You took a deep inhale of air on instinct (you weren’t actually out of breath) as you felt the wind brushing your soaked hair and heard the squawks of sea birds flying overhead. When you look down you could see much more movement among the corals, and from the size and shapes, you could guess there were quite a lot of monsters.

You found yourself spacing out as the sun was beating down on you while the sea wind cooled you, water splashing onto your skin and clothes. The water was glimmering and it was a vibrant turquoise- it must be noon right now. The way it felt on your skin reminded you of a speed boat when eventually Red slowed down, diving back under the waves.

It was quieter now, and though there were still fish and other animals swimming about, you didn’t see a lot of monsters. When you looked straight ahead you saw why. Red was heading towards the edge of the reef, and as you approached you saw how the reef ended in a cliff, dropping sharply down.

There was only blue in front of you. There were no more corals, no sand. All you could see was the sun's rays filtering down the water, distorted whenever a wave rolled on the ocean surface. It reminded you of how vast the ocean was, and at the moment, unable to see any animals swimming at the edge of reef and open ocean… It made you feel small.

Red kept dipping down, straight down when he reached the very edge of the cliff. A large plating Acropora spread to the edge, and when Red swam under it, you saw the top of the cliff. Part of it was covered by an encrusting coral, while other parts of it had what seemed like seagrass growing on it.

“here we are.” Red sighs, sounding slightly winded. The speed at which he swam became much more apparent to you when he slowed down, your skin feeling odd when water wasn’t rushing along it anymore. Your heart was pounding as if  _ you _ were the one swimming, and the merskeleton’s kicks became gentle as he got closer to the little plateau. He let go of you and helped you off his back, giving you his hand like you were climbing off of a vehicle. You landed on your feet on the rocky surface, and it felt weird standing there. It almost felt like you were on land, except your movements were a lot slower and sluggish, your body felt lighter, and water was around you. It was even weirder that you weren’t wearing any swimming gear, so the underwater-land illusion felt even more disorienting.

When you look back at Red, he’d just been hovering behind you, his tail slowly swerving back and forth to keep him where he was, his eyelights trained on you. When you caught him however, a light red hue dusted over his cheekbones, and he rubbed the back of his skull as he looked away.

He didn’t look at all tired as he swam under the roof-like coral. You don’t know how mer-monsters breathe, even less so a skeleton monster, but though you could hear that his breath was slightly labored and his teeth parted a little, it wasn’t fast and deep like you’d expect when you just sprinted across the ocean.

“… You’re not tired?”

He looked barely exhausted.

“hm?” His sockets, lidded, face you. “no, not really.”

“After you swam that far, for that long?”

You see his muted smile start to grow wider on his face as he swam next to you. The rows of sharp teeth would be threatening if it weren’t for the fact that this monster had saved you from the grips of another. “nah. i swim every day, baby. if ya wanna see somethin’  _ real  _ impressive, i’d take you out while i’m on the hunt.” He winked at you.

The way he spoke and how he so casually flirted with you brought a smile to your face- god knows you’ve been tense for far too long these past few days. You start to look around where Red had brought you.

“Where are we?”

“my home, angelfish.” He drawled as he floated lower and lower until he was lying down on the rocks, facing the vast blue as he yawned.

You look around. The coral above you acted like a canopy, as the sunlight moved about like waves on the rocky floor. On top of the seagrass, there were two beds of seaweed that reminded you of the one that Sans had in his cave. Behind that was a chest that looked just like the ones you’d see in those children’s books; wooden with metal clasps encasing its edges, a rusted lock in place. You wondered how the wood didn’t rot away.

You bounced your way a bit deeper into the cozy, simple little home when you see a crevice opening up at the back. You place your hand on the rocky wall, taking a peek inside… Something(s?) was glimmering, and though you wanted to go inside so you could examine it, you feel like you shouldn’t intrude on Red’s little home, with the skeleton’s back to you.

So you backed away and instead looked back up at the environment you find yourself in. You would say your breath was taken away if it wasn’t literal. Even just this tiny bit and you were already marveling at the spectacle. You went to the side and started climbing the rocks a little so you could peek at the reef that surrounded you-

“RED?” A loud voice barked from somewhere, surprising you enough that you slipped on a rock and tumbled (slowly) back down onto the ledge.

“YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ME WHERE YOU WERE GOING THIS MORNING, AND NOW AFTER A WHOLE DAY OF LOOKING FOR PREY I FIND YOU HERE, STILL LAZING ABOUT ON THE TERRACE? DID YOU GO AWAY JUST SO YOU COULD ESCAPE MY-“

You quickly turned around to look at the monster speaking so loudly, and you were glued into place when you made eye contact with another merskeleton.

Both your eyes and his eyesockets widened.

He had a fishtail like Red, but unlike Red’s he had spines along the back of him, jutting out. His scales were also colored red, but it was deeper, more mahogany where sunlight didn’t hit it straight on. He wasn’t as wide as Red, but he was longer, like he was stretched out. His left socket was scarred, three slashes running from his bonebrows to below his socket. Only his right eyelight was working, small and sharp as he stared into your eyes. His sharp teeth that seemed to be fused into his jaw were parted, his long, sharp phalanges extended.

You… probably had a similar expression on your face.

Red was sitting up now, pushing himself off the ledge. If you could see his face, you would’ve seen he looked quite distraught, his grin forced and his red lights constantly shrinking and dilating in his sockets. An awkward laugh built up to his throat, accompanied by an uncomfortable cough. If people could sweat underwater, he most definitely would.

“h-hey, bro. how’s it go-“

“SANS, IS THAT A  _ HUMAN?!” _ the merskeleton yelled, to which Red immediately brought a phalange to his teeth and tried  _ shushing _ him as fast as he could.

You blinked a bit at the name “Sans”, as the rounder skeleton approached the other.

_ “shut up bro, not so loud!” _

The other skeleton huffed and started glowering at the shorter skeleton, crossing his arms, his eyelight occasionally darting over to you before looking back at Red.

“WELL, EXPLAIN TO ME, RED. WHY IS THE- …. Why Is There A Human In Our House?”

* * *

Red grits his teeth. He didn’t know what his brother was going to say next.

He hadn’t told Spines what he was doing in the last few days… Not because he deliberately planned to keep things under wraps, but because he didn’t feel like he needed to tell his brother. All he had planned was to just send you home after all, his brother didn’t have to know what was going on.

… But here he was, with you in his home, and his brother looking quite confused- and pissed at him.

“ok, so bro,” He started, his eyelights going everywhere except his brother. “this human here’s named (y/n). (y/n), this is m’ bro spines.”

You gave him a shy (albeit slightly nervous) nod to him, which he didn’t blame you for. Spines was outright glaring at you, his sockets narrowing a little when you greeted him. “Nice to meet you…?”

“PLEASURE.” Spines answered coldly, making you flinch a bit while Red’s grin fell a little,  _ something _ in his soul objecting his brother’s glacial demeanor, not that he blamed him for it. He turned back to Red, so Red started talking again.

“ya see bro, this human was kidnapped by black-“

_ “BLACK?” _ Spines parroted, his scowl dropping a little, a small despondent look coming across his face before he shook his skull. “YOU’VE BEEN SNOOPING AROUND THAT- …” Spines went quiet for a while, his brows slanting for a moment before they knitted between his sockets again. “… YOU’VE BEEN SNOOPING AROUND  _ HIS _ TERRITORY AGAIN, RED? WHY DO YOU KEEP GOING THERE?!”

“ya know i have to, spines… who knows what else he’s gonna do,” Red sighed.

“WELL, DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP A WATCH ON HIM? FOR ALL I CARE, HE’S NO LONGER AROUND AND THEREFORE IS NO LONGER OUR RESPONSIBILITY!” Spines scoffed.

Red frowned as he rubbed his sternum uncomfortably.  _ sometimes it feels like it is… _ He thought somberly to himself, and he knows Spines feels it too. Though his brother was acting like he didn’t care for the cecaelia, the way his scowl deepened and his eyelights moved to stare at the ledge, he had mixed feelings about Black.

“well it’s good that i was watching him when i did, because apparently he  _ kidnapped _ her!” Red, raised his voice a little, gesturing at you.

Spines’ sockets widened a little, looking back at you before turning to give an incredulous look on Red.

“WHAT?”

“yeah! i found her while i was swimmin’ around his territory. he was…” He glanced at you, wondering if you’d be alright if he spoke about it. You understood the silent question he asked, nodding at him, so Red turned back to his brother. “he was holdin’ her, his tentacles roamin’ all over… he put her in a  _ cage _ , bro. i just broke her out of it.”

Spines expression changes as he glanced back from you to his brother, his scowl not as deep as before, and now he had slight concern showing on his face.

“… WHY WOULD BLACK DECIDE TO KIDNAP A HUMAN? ALL I KNOW OF THAT MONSTER IS THAT HE’S QUITE THE AVID HUMAN-“

_ “shhh!” _ Red hissed, jutting his skull towards you.

Thankfully, Spines had decided he wasn’t going to be an asshole today and nodded. Red doubts you would be happy to learn about Black’s…  _ behaviour. _ “… MMM. WELL, I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE’D TAKE A HUMAN INSTEAD OF ANYTHING ELSE.”

Red glanced back to you. “… i think he wants her to be his mate.”

Spines grabbed Red’s shoulders, surprising the shorter skeleton, his sockets wide. “MATE?  _ BLACK?!” _ Spines squawked, his tail flaring a bit.

“i told’ja, he was holdin’ her pretty close, i heard him say some…  _ weird _ things towards her.”

Honestly, Red didn’t understand much of it either. Even you weren’t sure why Black had taken such keen interest in you.

“i don’t know black as much as i did anymore… i don’t know more than you do, spines.”

Spine’s mouth turned lopsided as a thoughtful sound emanated from him. “ALRIGHT, WELL… CAN YOU EXPLAIN THEN HOW SHE IS  _ BREATHING UNDERWATER?!” _ Spines bellowed, gesturing at you with disbelief on his face.

“i don’t  _ know!” _ Red flailed his hands, groaning a bit that Spines was asking so many questions. It felt more like an interrogation, really.

“THEN WHAT  _ DO _ YOU KNOW, RED?!” Spines asked, frustration clear in his voice as he leveled Red with a look.

Red wanted so badly to start fighting his brother then and there, his ribcage puffing up as his tail tensed to rush his brother… But just one look at you, remembering what you told him when he first approached you in Black’s cave… And Red deflated, sighing.

_ she’s been through a lot, give her a rest. _

“well… it must be some strong magic, that’s fer sure.” Red pinched his nasal ridge. “she told me, uh… he did somethin’ with her soul.” Red frowned.

Just like he did back in Black’s cave, Spines’ expression turned into that of discomfort, his eyelight looking away from you for a while because he finally addressed you, facing you rather than giving you a side glance.

“WHAT DID HE DO WITH YOUR SOUL, HUMAN?” Spines asked, his face now fully showing concern.

“Well… I’ve told Red…” You mumbled, “But I don’t exactly know what he did to my soul. Just that he told me he put his magic in it… And that it has this green and blue glow around it? I’m not sure what it means but it helps me stay down here.”

Red could see Spines visibly cringe at the sound of Black ‘putting his magic in your soul’. Red himself felt something…  _ weird _ thinking about Black freely touching and doing things to your soul without even knowing it. Sure, he didn’t bond with you, but…

“HUMAN… WAS THERE…” Spines grit his teeth a bit before continuing. “… A CERTAIN  _ WAY _ HE WAS HOLDING YOUR SOUL?”

Thankfully for Red, Spines had asked the question that was on his mind after he left you in Black’s cave the first time he met you.

“Huh? What do you mean?” You frowned. “I’m… I’m not sure? He was holding it as normal, I guess…”

“AH, WELL, WHAT I MEAN WAS… WAS HE STROKING YOUR SOUL? DID HE DO  _ ANYTHING  _ TO YOUR SOUL THAT MADE YOU FEEL…  _ DIFFERENT?” _ Spines looked quite hesitant to ask, but the both of them had to know. “MAYBE A QUICK CHANGE IN MOOD? MAYBE EVEN UNCOMFORTABLE?”

“Mm.. not exactly-“ Your voice cut off as a look of realization came across your face. “… Actually, maybe. He gave it a little rub when he showed me what he did to my soul?” You said, uncertain. “Made me shiver a little, but nothing else.”

_ hm… i guess he didn’t have  _ ** _intent_ ** _ when he did… _ Red pondered to himself. His teeth slowly turned into a scowl as something  _ burning _ appeared in his chest, and he had unconsciously put a hand on his sternum.

… What is this his feeling..?

“Oh, and I think I know what you mean by a change in mood.” You thought again. “Before I slept, on a couple of nights, sometimes something felt different in the water, and it was coming from him. When I was feeling restless and stressed, he did…  _ something _ . I get sleepy whenever he did, and my limbs, they just… Stop moving? I don’t know. All I could do was stare at him, his eyelights, they were…” You trailed off, grabbing your hand a bit.

_ emotion-manipulating magic? _ Red had started gritting his teeth again, his hands turning into fists. That bastard… He knew what Black’s been doing was pretty creepy, but with all the magical mastery that 8-legged monster has… He could do so many things Red didn’t even know were possible. It was dangerous to have you around him.

“she was on a boat when she met ‘im, bro.” Red added, and he could see the discomfort on Spines face as he turned to look. “black  _ climbed _ a boat to get to her. a boat full of humans.”

“… WHAT COULD POSSIBLY DRIVE HIM TO WANT A HUMAN SO BADLY?” Spines’ brows furrowed deep between his sockets.

“I don’t know.”

“i don’t know.”

Red and you said simultaneously.

Spines made a frustrated noise at the back of his throat as he swims back and forth before he turns to Red. “SO RED, I TAKE IT THAT YOU’VE PLANNED TO TAKE THE HUMAN OUT OF THE CECAELIA’S TENTACLED GRASPS, YES?”

Suddenly Spines was looking calm, and that made Red slightly nervous. “uh… yeah.”

“OK, WELL THEN…” Spines closed his sockets.

Then he grabbed Red’s shoulders.

_ “WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT THE HUMAN HERE, RED?!” _ Spines started shaking his brother, Red making incomprehensible sounds before he grabbed Spines’ arms and ripped them off of himself.

“would’ja calm down, bro?!” Red hissed, his sockets flaring with magic for a second before it died down again.

_ no no, red… don’t fight in front of the human. she’d think we’d kill one another, she’s not used to yer brawls… _

“i was plannin’ to put her back on land where she belongs, i ain’t stupid.” Red growled, his bones rattling as he slowly lowered his temper. “y’ see, i was waitin’ until black left her to hunt. he was plannin’ to tie the knot, so t’ speak. i figured he’d be away for a while and took her out… but then i saw him on the beach. he had territorial magic around him, he somehow sensed me there. i tried to go ‘round, but he jus’ kept following us… i don’t think he saw us- he’d start throwin’ shit at me if he did. but it was too dangerous to risk it, so i brought ‘er here. figured i could send her home tomorrow- ‘r whenever black decides to calm down a bit.”

“Is there no other beaches you could land me on, Red?” You piped up.

“NOT EXACTLY.” Spines answered this time. “IF YOU LOOK TO THE LEFT FROM WHERE WE ARE, THERE IS THE HUMAN BEACH. RED CAN’T EXACTLY BRING YOU THERE, UNLESS YOU WANT TO MAKE THE TRIP ON YOUR OWN…”

Spines had an  _ I THOUGHT SO. _ Look on his face when you quickly shook your head and hands.

“ON THE RIGHT, THERE’S THE WEST CURRENT. NOT EVEN US MONSTERS ARE QUITE STRONG ENOUGH TO BRAVE THOSE WATERS ALONE… UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SWEPT INTO THE DEEP SEA, YOU’RE FREE TO GO. ONLY THE STURDIEST OF MONSTERS CAN TRAVERSE IT… AND WHILE ME AND RED HERE ARE QUITE AGILE AND STRONG OURSELVES, DON’T GET ME WRONG, EVEN THE GREAT AND POWERFUL SPINES HAS TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH THERE. AND OBVIOUSLY, ON THE BEACH YOU CAME FROM IS BLACK. HE CAN BE QUITE INTENSE… HE MIGHT EVEN PATROL THE BEACH ALL DAY AND NIGHT, PERHAPS!”

He then turned towards his brother.

“WELL THEN, RED, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU PLANNING WITH BRINGING HER HERE?”

Red shrugged. “i mean i can’t bring her back right now. and i  _ ain’t  _ risking going out to the open ocean to make a huge maneuver around that big chunk of dirt. i dunno, i was thinkin’ maybe she can stay here for the night.”

His brother’s face deadpanned for a moment, his scowl picking up again.

“GREAT.” He grumbled. “I SUPPOSE I WILL HAVE TO HUNT FOR  _ ALL _ OF US NOW. CAN’T LEAVE A GUEST HUNGRY.” He gave a curt nod towards you before he turned to leave. “RED, KEEP YOUR EYESOCKETS ON HER. CAN’T LET HER GET INTO  _ TROUBLE. _ ”

Before Red even got the chance to reply, Spines was already whizzing away, diving down into the deep dark blue of the cliff.

It was day time, there was a lot of prey currently waiting around the twilight zone.

Red sighs. He could tell his brother was a little uncomfortable being around you, though at least he had the decency to hide it. It wasn’t his fault. After all they’ve been through, it took a while before they could warm up to humans.

When he looked to your face, he can see you were slightly confused and put-off by his brother’s coldness. His grin softens a little as he swims closer, putting a hand on your shoulder, gently rubbing it. He was doing it because he wanted to reassure you, but…  _ shit _ , your skin feels really nice to touch. It was soft and you were slightly squishy… though Red resisted the urge to give your arm a squeeze.

“don’t worry about ‘im, sweets.” Red crooned. “my bro can be, heh…  _ spiny _ sometimes, but he’s got good intentions. ya just gotta let him get used to ya. i’m sure he’ll warm up to ya soon enough.”

You turned to him, and a small, cute smile graced your lips. His soul thudded faster at that, your smile infectious, making him put on a dumb wide smile for you. “Thanks, Red. I hope he’ll like me?” You giggled a little, shrugging.

“i’m sure he will. with a smile as sweet as yers, i’m sure he’d get a toothache.”

You tittered again, cupping your cheek, a soft blush covering it. His eyelights dilated a little in your sockets, but then you turned away from him, looking up where the Acropora didn’t reach.

“… Hey Red?” You asked, and though you weren’t looking at him, he raised his brow at you. “Would it be ok if I take a look around Skull Reef?”

Red sighed a little when you looked back at him. “sorry t’ break it to ya, sea shell. it’s pretty dangerous fer someone like you out there… any monster sees you and ya can bet yer ass they’ll try to eat ya. i mean- ya look pretty tasty if i do say so myself…” He lids his sockets and your face reddens again, deeper this time, and Red chuckles quietly to himself.

“W-well,” You stutter as you regain composure, looking up at the unreachable reef above you, a longing look on your face. “It’s just… I come to the beach often, because not a lot of people even come close to Skull Reef. It’s quiet... And it’s beautiful. When I was on that boat ride a few days ago, I got to see the top part of the reef and... I wished I could be there. I want to see what you have! And now... I’m here! In Skull Reef!”

You wave your arms about, an excited look on your face. Red’s smile quirked a bit and he asked, “ya interested in the reef huh, sweets?”

“Yeah… It’s why I like to sit on the sand, imagine if I was here… I’ve always thought it must be wonderful, and it was even better than I thought!” The spark in your eyes died down however, a rueful smile on your face. “And now I’m actually here! … but… I can’t see it.”

Red could see the slight disappointment on your face. You really were interested in this reef, huh?

… Somehow your adoration for the place he calls home brings a smile to his face, a warm feeling blooming in his ribcage.

“well… it’s a shame that i can’t show ya around the reef, angelfish.” Red said, a false look of sadness on his face while you sigh. “but… it’s barely noon and since we’ve got time to kill…”

You looked up at him, his hand extended to you, urging you to take it.

“i might know a place you’d like. can ya swim?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of Red so far hem hem hem :>?
> 
> I hope you're all are healthy and are alright! ;w;
> 
> Also- more fanart! ^^
> 
> ["My Pearl"](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/616646867054428160/i-hope-it-shows-up-okay-i-love-the-danger-that) by [someseriousthot](https://someseriousthot.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Support is always welcomed, it always makes me so happy when I see you guys like this T-T

**Author's Note:**

> Yknow what have all the fanart in one place! :D
> 
> [The scene from chapter 2](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187027171255/kiki-sugarrr) by [kikisugarr](https://kiki-sugarrr.tumblr.com/) (+their [amino](https://aminoapps.com/c/undertale-aus/page/user/kiki-sugarrr/NQ6a_m8f0flbPkVd3GLrJn4MJkg8X0WDKx))  
[The *other* scene from chapter 2](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187066223110/hooooo-aaaaaa-yeesss-look-at-that-action-i-love) by [redroseofdestruction](https://redroseofdestruction.tumblr.com/)  
[Sans as a blue-ringed octopus](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187182527130/so-inspired-by-aka-indulgence-and-their-amazing) by [dragondoodles](https://dragondoodles.tumblr.com/)  
[Pearls for my pearl](https://www.deviantart.com/thelexinomicon/art/Pearls-For-My-Pearl-813882284) by [TheLexinomicon](https://www.deviantart.com/thelexinomicon)  
[Sans as a flirt](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/187700755475/captaindeadmaster-fanart-for-the-fic), [(Black) and a bitty](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188206156180/captaindeadmaster-black-from-the-fic-the) by [captaindeadmaster](https://captaindeadmaster.tumblr.com/)  
["You're Mine"](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188163520715/shibe-inu-youre-mine-uh-oh-here) by [shibe-inu](https://shibe-inu.tumblr.com/)  
[Lovestruck Sans](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188169811745/i-promised-in-my-first-ask-that-id-make-fan-art), [Reader in her pretty dress](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188210763860/sorry-for-kinda-spamming-u-i-just-love-you-and), [Joke and Sans will love you](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/188338619855/ahhh-yes-this-is-adorable-look-at-black-all) by [mx-ace](https://mx-ace.tumblr.com/)  
[Bro she's gonna drown](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/190075098035/tiredassmotherfucker-broooo-she-boutta-fucking) by [tiredassmotherfucker](https://tiredassmotherfucker.tumblr.com/)  
["My darling"](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/190617624915/translation-i-love-you-darling-3-am-doodles) by noteasymoon (unfortunately their tumblr was deactivated :c )  
["My Pearl"](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/post/616646867054428160/i-hope-it-shows-up-okay-i-love-the-danger-that) by [someseriousthot](https://someseriousthot.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
